Clean development mechanism and nuclear energy in China

With economy developing rapidly and energy demand increasing promptly, the environmental pollution was intensified in China. In order to achieve economy sustainable development, the electricity industry must adjust existing energy structure and adopt new efficiency clean generation technology. However, in exiting electricity planning, nuclear energy develops slowly due to lack of funds and technology. The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) provided an opportunity and challenge for developing country parties in achieving sustainable development.

The “Clean Development Mechanism” (CDM) was proposed by the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change. It aims at assisting developing country parties to achieve sustainable development, and assisting developed country parties to achieve their obligation of emission reduction promised in the Kyoto Protocol in lower cost. It means it is a mutual beneficial mechanism that could be implemented between developed and developing countries. Therefore there is much interest in CDM by international bodies.     

核电站用机器人技术的发展

由于遥控和自动化技术的迅速发展，一些发达国家在核电站的检修、保养和事故处理等方面，广泛地使用了机器人技术，从而大大减少了从业人员的工作强度和受放射性辐照的剂量。本文介绍了国外核电站中机器人应用的现状和发展动向，同时提出了我国核电站用机器人的发展设想。     

Functions of low-capacity nuclear power plants in supplying energy

The development of low-capacity nuclear power plants (LCNPs) in our country and the world is reviewed. Examples of designs which have been implemented are examined. Modern designs developed in our country and abroad are presented and analyzed. The requirements which LCNPs must satisfy without on-site refueling are formulated. The prospects for developing low-capacity nuclear power plants to provide energy and economic security in remote regions of our country are examined. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 102, No. 4, pp. 203–208, April, 2007.     

核电厂退役资金管理

核电厂退役资金问题是核电政策、核电管理、退役管理方面的重要问题之一。文章介绍了国外核电厂退役现状,对国外在核电厂退役费用估算、资金提取和管理、保证资金充分性等方面的实践进行了阐述;在简要分析我国核电厂退役资金管理现状的基础上,提出了当前在退役资金方面需要开展的工作。     

Fire in the hole: A review of national spent nuclear fuel disposal policy

Today, nuclear power plants operate in 31 countries and account for approximately 15% of the world's electricity production. Moreover, a number of additional reactors are expected to come on-line over the next several years as a result of a global resurgence in nuclear power. Since the amount of spent nuclear fuel generated by these plants is expected almost to double by 2020, the issue of how to dispose of highly radioactive waste properly is an international concern of growing importance. As of now, no country has yet solved the problem of what to do with the mounting inventories of spent nuclear fuel created as a by-product of nuclear power generation. This article focuses on national approaches for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel, and discusses the need for a global approach to cope adequately with the increasing inventories of highly radioactive waste.     

核电——绿色经济的希望

介绍了全球核电发展现状,通过对比火电与核电对环境的影响以及火电与核电的发电成本,论证了加大核电建设对发展绿色经济的重要性。在分析目前我国核电产业发展现状的基础上,提出我国核电中长期发展规划的目标任务及核与辐射安全监管的发展目标。     

中美核电厂流出物监测与排放管理要求对比分析

对我国和美国核电厂流出物的监测和排放管理要求进行了对比分析,指出我国在法规标准方面需要进行修订和完善之处,提出参考借鉴美国的经验对我国核电厂流出物监测和排放管理要求进行规范的建议。     

Evaluation of implementation of thorium fuel cycle with LWR and MSR

In order to construct a sustainable society, it is necessary to consider fairness beyond generations and between countries. It is expected that Asian countries continue growing their economy and will result consuming more energy. More CO₂ emission is not acceptable.Nuclear power has many advantages for reducing CO₂ emission. However, it still has concerns of nuclear proliferation, radioactive waste and safety. It is necessary to overcome these concerns if nuclear power is expanded to Asian countries. Thorium utilization as nuclear fuel will be an opening key of these difficulties because thorium produces less plutonium, less radioactive waste. Safety will also be enhanced. The use of molten-salt reactor (MSR) triggered by plutonium supply from ordinary light water reactor (LWR) with uranium fuel will allow implementation of thorium fuel cycle with electricity capacity of about 446 GWe around at 2050.The other important sector in a view of sustainability is transportation. Transportation is essential for economy growth. Therefore it is inevitable to reduce CO₂ emission from transportation sector. Electric vehicle (EV) will be used as a major mobility instead of gasoline engine cars. Rare-earth materials such as neodymium and dysprosium are necessary for producing EV. These materials are expected to be mined from Asian countries. It is often obtained with thorium as by-product. Thorium has not been used as nuclear fuel because it is not good for nuclear weapon and it does not have fissionable isotopes. Recent global trend of nuclear disarmament and accumulation of plutonium from uranium fuel cycle can support starting the use of thorium.Thorium utilization will help both to provide clean energy and to produce rare-earth for clean vehicle. These will create new industries in developing Asian countries. An international collaborative framework can be established by supplying resource from developing countries and supplying technology from developed countries. “THE Bank (THorium Energy Bank)” is proposed here as one part of such a framework.     

Development of next generation PWR in Japan

The demand for energy in Japan is expected to increase steadily into the future, and it seems that the importance of nuclear power generation will be heightened more when the situation of our country which is not rich in energy resources is taken into account.

Furthermore, when we consider the present situation that the light water reactors have become common, recent outlook for the supply and demand for uranium resources, trends in the development of the fast breeder reactor technology, etc., the light water reactors are expected to remain dominant in the nuclear power generation of our country until at least the second half of the 21st century.

Based on such a background five PWR utilities in Japan (Hokkaido, Kansai, Shikoku, Kyushu, and the Japan Atomic Power), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. have jointly started researching the Next Generation PWR which is expected to be the leading nuclear power plant taking place of APWR.     

Determination of the highest possible capital costs for the construction of a nuclear power plant based on data from construction abroad

In many countries, different points of view concerning the advantages of one or another technology for generating electricity are now encountered in the course of developing a strategy for increasing power production. The advantages and drawbacks of coal- and gas-burning and other types of power plants are discussed. Analysis of the possible development of nuclear power is given prominent place in the discussions. China, Finland, and India have now assigned an important role for the construction of new nuclear power plants in their energy programs. In other countries, discussions are continuing. In the present paper, the data on the construction of power plants abroad are used as a basis to extrapolate the basic factors influencing the profitability and competitiveness of various designs and to determine the role of Russian nuclear power in the competition on foreign markets.Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 97, No. 5, pp. 338–345, November, 2004.     

Assessment the safety performance of nuclear power plants using Global Safety Index (GSI)

The safety performance of the nuclear power plant is a very important factor enhancing the nuclear energy option. It is vague to evaluate the nuclear power plant performance but it can be measured through measuring the safety performance of the plant.In this work, the safety of nuclear power plants is assessed by developing a “Global Safety Index” (GSI).The GSI is developed by introducing three indicators: probability of accident occurrence, performance of safety system in case of an accident occurrence (during an accident), and the consequences of the accident.The GSI is developed by tracking the performance of the safety system during a design basis accident such as loss of coolant accident (LOCA). This is done by using the PCTran simulation code in simulation a PWR LOCA and introducing four indicators: the sensation time, the response time, and the recovery time together with Core Damage Frequency (CDF). Then Fuzzy Inference System is used for obtaining the GSI.The GSI is also evaluated for the advanced types for nuclear power plants, such as AP1000, and a comparison is made between the GSI evaluated for both conventional and advanced types.     

我国发展先进小型轻刊反应堆的一些思考

文章介绍了先进小型轻水堆发展历史和基本特点;提出了在我国开展先进小型轻水反应堆研究和应用的建议和策略。先进小型压水堆主要面对非主干网电力系统,可以比较经济和高效地替代中小型火电机组,因此可以作为节能减排的重要补充手段。先进小型轻水反应堆在安全性和经济陛上的特点扩大了核能在新兴工业国家和发展中国家的市场,可以成为我国核电设备出口的重要组成部分。     

我国核电厂流出物监测和辐射环境监测标准体系研究

为了适应我国核电快速发展新形势下环境辐射安全监督管理要求,并更好地指导核电厂的流出物监测和辐射环境监测工作的开展,需要对现有监测标准体系进行梳理和分析,推动标准体系的完善。本文分析了目前我国核电厂流出物监测和辐射环境监测标准的技术要求,提出了我国现行标准体系需要补充和修订的标准清单及修订和完善的建议,为加强和完善我国核电厂流出物监测和辐射环境监测的监督管理提供参考借鉴。     

OECD/NEA activities relating to innovative nuclear energy systems

The mission of the OECD Nuclear Energy Agency (NEA) is to assist its member countries in maintaining and further developing, through international co-operation, the scientific, technological and legal bases required for the safe, environmentally friendly and economical use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. In fulfilling that mission, the NEA conducts technical, economic and policy studies in response to the needs and interests of its 28 member countries. In recent years, a number of these studies have addressed various aspects of the next generation of nuclear power plants. This paper will describe some of the major activities recently completed and currently underway that may be of particular interest to the COE-INES program.     

Channel reactors as an integral part of nuclear power in Russia

The place and role of channel reactors in nuclear power in our country and the main measures for upgrading and improving the power generating units of nuclear power plants with RBMK reactors are described. It is shown that the risk indicators for serious damage to the core of power generating units with RBMK reactors are lower after upgrading and the corresponding IAEA criterion established for operating nuclear power plants. Upgrading and implementation of a service life extension program has made it possible to obtain licenses for continuing operation of power generating units with first-generation RBMK reactors and predicting a service life increase to 45 years. The characteristics of nuclear power plants with channel reactors with more highly developed internal and natural safety properties are shown in evolutionary designs of the power generating units MKéR-860,-1000, and-1500, which have protective shells and which meet all requirements for power generating units built today. It is shown that innovative solutions for the channel reactor concept can be implemented on the basis of the designs of power generating units with nuclear superheating of steam or on the basis of designs for developing reactors with supercritical parameters. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya,Vol. 103, No. 1, pp. 29–36, July, 2007.     

Development of full-scale simulators for nuclear power plants

The structure of full-scale simulators of nuclear power plants and their development are described. The special features of analytical simulators, which are economical tools for training nuclear power plant personnel because they require only a small investment of capital, are described. An industrial technology for developing simulators for nuclear power plants has been adopted and is maintained at a modern level at the All-Russia Scientific-Research Institute of Nuclear Power Plants. A change in the technical policy of the concern Rosénergoatom made it possible to solve, by and large, the problem of equipping nuclear power plants in Russia with simulators. 3 figures, 1 table, 4 references. All-Russia Scientific-Research Institute of Nuclear Power Plants. Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 88, No. 6. pp. 407–414, June, 2000.     

Desae program for systems studies of long-term growth of nuclear power

The DESAE computer program has been developed, within the framework of the INPRO project implemented under IAEA aegis, as a program complex for making predictive calculations of nuclear power growth. The main purpose of these calculations is to determine the most likely trends in the structural development and scales of the industry and the expected time frames when the new technologies will be needed. Their main benefit lies in the possibility of constructing a balanced picture, as close to reality as possible, of the future structure and developing on this basis a well-substantiated program for strategic scientific-technical policy. A brief presentation of a DESAE calculation of a scenario for nuclear power growth in the country up to 2100 is given. This scenario corresponds to the above-mentioned requirement of balance with respect to the consumption of natural uranium as well as the amount of electricity and heat that will be required. Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 105, No. 6, pp. 303–307, December, 2008.     

核电厂一回路源项和排放源项框架体系研究

我国核电机组堆型众多,来源广泛,这些引进堆型的源项在我国应用中还存在一些问题。源项设计是否合理,直接影响到排放源项的准确性和环境影响评价源项的合理性。本文通过分析不同堆型源项在我国应用中存在的问题,研究如何构建我国核电厂通用的一回路源项和排放源项框架体系,为解决国内核电厂源项计算中长期存在的问题,也为我国华龙一号和CAP1400堆型的源项计算提供技术基础。     

NPTC-11数字显示智能控制仪表研制

过程控制仪表准确与否,直接影响核电厂安伞运行,因此,对此类仪表的国产化更新改造,经验的积累十分必要。本文遵循核级仪表设计标准,充分考虑电站实际使用需求、技术冗余等因素,研制了NPTC-11数字显示智能控制仪表。经过近一年的核电站实用检验表明,该仪表符合研制目标,满足预期的研制要求。     

Nuclear central heating — prospects and solutions

Large-scale development of nuclear central heating — a radical expansion of a sphere of application, large increase of cost-effectiveness and self-financing of the construction of nuclear sources of energy, increase of their fraction in the base part of the load schedule, and large-scale displacement of fossil fuel — is validated. Suggestions for a program for developing nuclear heat and power plants are examined. It is shown that the power generating units of nuclear heat and power plants must satisfy specific requirements, which requires developing specialized reactor systems. The main technical and economic characteristics of an innovative simplified boiling water reactor VK-300, specially designed for central heating power generating units, the parameters of a central heating power generating unit with VK-300, and the results of validation of investments in the construction of the VK-300 nuclear heat and power plant in Arkhangel’sk are presented. __________ Translated from Atomnaya énergiya, Vol. 103, No. 1, pp. 36–40, July, 2007.