China General Nuclear Power Group (CGN) has unveiled Hualong One 2.0, a new nuclear reactor design built on its existing Hualong One technology. CGN said the Generation III+ system is intended to improve safety while significantly simplifying the construction, operation and maintenance of nuclear plants.
The company said the new design also focuses on higher automation, easier operation and maintenance, and improved environmental performance.
The Hualong One is China's domestically developed pressurized water reactor design, first brought into commercial service in 2021. CGN is one of China's state-owned nuclear power operators and has been a lead developer of the Hualong One programme.
Seven days without human intervention
The most significant change in Hualong One 2.0 is in its safety systems. CGN said the reactor is designed to keep running for 72 hours after an accident without any operator intervention, and that it can sustain itself for up to seven days under accident conditions.
The design retains the multi-layered defense approach used in the original Hualong One, but CGN said 14 safety features have been optimized and nine core safety indicators improved. The rate of automatic operation has been increased by 66%, which the company said is intended to allow more precise system control and faster response times.
Simpler physical structure
China also simplified the reactor's physical structure. In Hualong One 2.0, the total length of piping has been cut by 31% and the number of process valves reduced by 25%. The volume of the nuclear island buildings has been reduced by 21%, and installation volume by around 33%.
CGN said the design is intended to allow 100% localization of critical equipment. The company said it carried out around 100 optimizations with industry partners, drawing on experience from the Hualong One programme, before arriving at the new design.
From Hualong One to a demonstration project
According to CGN, 10 Hualong One reactors have entered commercial operation to date, while 37 more have been approved and are under construction.
Hualong One 2.0 is now expected to move from the design phase into an actual power plant project. China's State Council Executive Meeting approved eight nuclear power units on July 31. Among those projects is the third phase of CGN's Taipingling Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong, which has been designated as the demonstration project for Hualong One 2.0.
