Qinshan Report

Nuclear power starts come into people’s mind from American’s nuclear bomb in the Second World War. People get shock and scientist start to investigate in this new technology. A lot of nuclear PowerStation has been build, but after the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 Ukraine. People start to think and discuss again of how nuclear power affect our life and their safety. From then, there are always argues between different parties about nuclear development. Supporter say it can helping reducing of the CO2 emissions, can produce huge demand of electricity of demand need and nuclear fuel Uranium have huge stores, so it can be provide energy from long time. The opposition say nuclear can cause huge damage if accident occurs, nuclear waste storage is danger and building cost is high.

But as wee know, the fact in reality is the fossil fuel source will run out soon, we need a different energy source that can generate energy to our life. Scientists are search alternative energy that can replace fossil fuel. Sun, wind and tides cannot be controlled to provide directly either continuous base-load power or peak-load power when it is needed. In practical terms they are therefore limited to some 10-20% of the capacity of an electricity grid, and cannot directly be applied as economic substitutes for coal or nuclear power,
Some governments are considering nuclear power as their favorite. Nuclear power is more safety, low pollute and cost efficiency in comparing with other fossil fuel such oil, gas and coal. And nuclear power can generate a huge amount of electricity than those fossil fuel or renewable source. Also, nuclear have a huge increasing space, only 6% of the world energy come from nuclear power in the BP 2007 report.

Qinshan power station in china is my choose project to investigate further research about nuclear power.

Qinshan nuclear power station is the first to be independently designed and constructed in China, was completed and put into production in 1991. Design by the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute (SNERDI).

Safety issue

Qinshan nuclear power station is base on Pressurized water reactor which is called PWR system. In over the half century of world record data show that the accident rate of this type of technology is less than 0.01%. It has been the most safety nuclear power reactor system in the world.
PWR reactors can be operated with a core containing less fissile material. This significantly reduces the chance that the reactor will run out of control and makes PWR designs relatively safe from criticality accidents.

PWR turbine cycle loop is separate from the primary loop, so the water in the secondary loop is not contaminated by radioactive materials.

In order to make it more safety, Qinshan company using technology as 5 layer defense in depth system which is the most common safety technology in the world.

First layer of defense is the inert, ceramic quality of the uranium oxide itself.
98% of the radioactive materials stay inside the uranium oxide ceramic.

Second layer is the air tight zirconium alloy of the fuel rod.
Make sure no radioactive materials flow back to the water.

Third layer is the reactor pressure vessel made of steel more than a dozen centimeters thick.
Make sure the radioactive material not spread out into the reactor building

Below is the English translation of the nuclear power reactor vessel.

4th layer is the pressure resistant, air tight containment building.

5th layer is the reactor building.
Final layer is to make sure the radioactive materials not come into the air environment.

Nuclear waste disposal

Nuclear waste disposal and nuclear waste storage are big issues for Qinshan’s operators and developers. Government rules related to the environment make nuclear waste disposal one of the most difficult dilemmas facing power generators. After the power station has been build, china government produces a new law to clearly show how the nuclear waste has to be standard processing.
Nuclear waste is stored temporarily in spent fuel pools and in dry cask storage facilities. After the nuclear waste gets harder then fill into the ground that far away from where people living.

Qinshan disposal in 4 steps:
Step1-cooling
The spent fuel can still produce heat, so store in spent fuel pools until full cooling. This processing is inside the power plant.
Step2-post processing
Put the cooling spent fuel into a shipping cask and transport to another place to processing to extraction the fissile material that has not burn.
Step3-Solidify
Put the high level spent fuel that left mixed with melt glasses, then solidify into texture hard and stable performance solid, then packed in special stainless steel bins.
Step4- deep geological disposal
Using trains transport the steel bins to central used fuel storage in Lanzhou that sparsely populated, the geological structure stability and no underground water. This guarantee thousand years or more will not leak into the surrounding environment.

So as we can see the nuclear power plant spent fuel has been under surveillance and stable monitor.

Below is the diagram showing the 4 step features.

In 9 years of Qinshan power station operation, the environmental protection department of china monitors it regular of the surrounding environment. After 9 years, they report to the government in Beijing Great Hall of the People, have not yet been found any radioactive pollution because of the nuclear power plant radioactive. The average air condition level is at the same with the date of it operating.

Political Impact

As we know, china has become the faster developing country in the last 30 years and it needs a huge amount of electricity to support this fast growing economy. At present， energy shortage problem has increasingly become obstacles to the China's sustainable development. Also some area of china without electricity in peak time, this was due to a large and urgently problem face the government. It also Impact on Economic stability. Energy for economic and social development has become increasingly obvious constraints. Qinshan nuclear power station run successfully boosts the government’s nuclear plan. It also increase national energy security by reducing reliance on fossil fuels
Nuclear produce no carbon dioxide which lead to global warming, china face a huge pressure from western country to improve its environment sustainable.

Financial Impact

Qinshan Nuclear power plants are high-tech enterprises, the building of nuclear power plant need complex technology. This can provide huge Employment opportunities to local people. In the tens of billions of funds during the construction, the local economy will have a tremendous positive effect. Nuclear power plant project, site select, design, construction, and operation, all of these will be for the media concern, the building of nuclear power plants will raise the cities famous. It will provide the local power supply, improve the investment environment. Nuclear power business has large annual tax revenue and will provide a certain degree of support to the local environment. Qinshan nuclear power generating units of 300,000 kilowatts, a year and only need 14 tons of nuclear fuel, using 20 trucks will be enough, and the scale of thermal power plants require coal annually 1 million tons, the daily needs of a train to transport coal.

Reference:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/nuc_reactors/pwr.html
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/PressurizedWaterReactor.gif
http://www.qnpc.cn/Nuclear_Info_Show.asp?ArticleID=77&ClassID=32
http://www.qnpc.cn/Index_English.asp
http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf10.html
http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf04.html