Tests that simulate the temperatures and pressures which the reactor systems will be subjected to during normal operation have been completed at unit 2 of the Zhangzhou nuclear power plant in China’s Fujian province. The unit is the second of four Hualong One (HPR1000) reactors under construction at the site.
Hot functional tests involve increasing the temperature of the reactor coolant system and carrying out comprehensive tests to ensure that coolant circuits and safety systems are operating as they should. Carried out before the loading of nuclear fuel, such testing simulates the thermal working conditions of the power plant and verifies that nuclear island and conventional equipment and systems meet design requirements.
During the tests, the steam turbine generator of the unit was run to 1500 rpm for the first time and ran stably. “After inspection and confirmation by on-site staff, all systems on the conventional island ran smoothly during this run-in process, and all key technical indicators of the steam turbine met the acceptance standards, marking the successful completion of the non-nuclear run-in test,” China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said.
CNNC added that completion of the hot testing of Zhangzhou 2 “lays a solid foundation for the subsequent work of nuclear fuel loading, grid-connected power generation and other work of the unit”.
Cold functional tests – which are carried out to confirm whether components and systems important to safety are properly installed and ready to operate in a cold condition – were completed earlier at Zhangzhou 2. The main purpose of those tests – which marked the first time the reactor systems were operated together with the auxiliary systems – was to verify the leak-tightness of the primary circuit.
Zhangzhou units 1 and 2 (Image: CNNC)
China’s Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued construction licences for Zhangzhou units 1 and 2 on 9 October 2019 to CNNC-Guodian Zhangzhou Energy Company, the owner of the Zhangzhou nuclear power project, which was created by CNNC (51%) and China Guodian Corporation (49%) in 2011. Construction of unit 1 began one week after the issuance of the construction licence, with that of unit 2 starting in September 2020.
In September 2022, China’s State Council approved the construction of two further Hualong One units as Phase II of the Zhangzhou plant. First concrete for the nuclear island of unit 3 was poured in February last year, with that for unit 4 following in September.
Six Hualong One units are planned for the Zhangzhou site.
“Currently, unit 1 has been put into commercial operation, and unit 2 is scheduled to be put into commercial operation in the fourth quarter of this year,” CNNC said. “Units 3 and 4 have started construction in 2024, and the preliminary work of units 5 and 6 is being carried out in an orderly manner.”
