The Fuqing 1 reactor under construction in China has moved a step closer to commissioning with the successful completion of hydrostatic testing of the unit's reactor coolant system.
|Workers monitor systems during the hydrostatic tests (Image: CNNC)
Hydrostatic testing to confirm the integrity of the reactor's water coolant lines was completed on 3 October. During the tests, which took about four days,the pressure within the coolant loop was gradually increased to 22.8 MPa to check the functioning of valves, seals and welds.
China National Nuclear Corporation's (CNNC's) Fuqing plant in Fujian province will eventually house six units, based on Chinese-designed CPR-1000 pressurized water reactors.
Construction of Fuqing 1 started in November 2008 and it is scheduled to begin operating by the end of this year. Unit 2, construction of which began in June 2009, is expected to start up in September 2014.
Ground was broken for Fuqing unit 3 and 4 in June 2009 and CNNC held an official ceremony to mark the start of work on unit 3 in December 2010. Those reactors should begin operation in mid-2015 and mid-2016, respectively.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News