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Technological breakthrough raises nuclear fuel utilization rate: below 1% to 95%

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Technological breakthrough raises nuclear fuel utilization rate: below 1% to 95%

2017-06-09 14:38

People's Daily Online Editor: Wang Zihao

U778P886T1D260904F12DT20170609143805.jpg


Chinese scientists have made a technological breakthrough in the country's nuclear energy program. The new accelerator-driven system (ADS) is able to raise the utilization rate of uranium to 95 percent, a great leap forward from less than 1 percent using the current technology, paving way for a safer, greener nuclear future, said the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at a press conference on June 8.

The new system means that fission energy could be sustainable for roughly 10, 000 years. It's also more environmentally friendly, as it can shorten the radioactive life of used nuclear fuel to less than 500 years, and the volume of disposed nuclear waste can be reduced to less than 4 percent of the conventional amount.

Xu Hushan, vice director of the Institute of Modern Physics under CAS, said the achievement in advanced fission energy is the result of six years of research by the institute. The disappointingly low utilization rate of nuclear fuel and its safe disposal have been key challenges for the nuclear power industry.


http://www.ecns.cn/2017/06-09/260904.shtml
 
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我国核燃料研究获突破 铀利用率从1%提高到95%

2017-06-09

2016年底,中科院发布一项太过先进,无法展示:o:的核技术,近日,这项技术取得新突破。

中国科学网6月8日消息,2017年6月5日至7日,全球首台25MeV质子直线加速器通过测试,标志着我国先进核裂变技术获得突破。该技术“可将铀资源利用率由不到1%提高到超过95%,有望使核裂变能从目前的百年变为近万年可持续、安全、清洁的战略能源。”

目前核电站产生的乏燃料含铀量在95%左右,使用该技术处理后,核废料量不到乏燃料的4%,放射寿命由数十万年缩短到约500年。

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2016年12月,中核集团微博发布一项“无法展示”的核技术

另据中新网报道,中国科学院8日在北京举行新闻发布会,中科院战略性A类先导科技专项“未来先进核裂变能—ADS嬗变系统”的专项负责人介绍了相关进展。

中国科学院近代物理研究所副所长徐瑚珊介绍,ADS中文名为“加速器驱动次临界系统”,即利用加速器产生的高能离子轰击散裂靶,再产生高通量、硬能谱的中子,驱动次临界堆芯运行,达到乏燃料嬗变的目的。

徐瑚珊说,2011年中科院启动了战略性先导科技专项(A类)“未来先进核裂变能-ADS(加速器驱动次临界系统)嬗变系统”,经过6年多的不懈努力和奋力攻关,该专项从零开始,突破了一些关键核心技术并部分引领国际发展。在认识到传统的ADS方案在经济性上缺乏竞争力且技术挑战巨大之后,该专项原创地提出了“加速器驱动先进核能系统”全新概念,并已通过大规模并行计算模拟研究证明了其原理上的可行性,完成了一系列实验室模拟原理验证实验并取得了突破性进展。

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中科院近代物理研究所ADS团队(中国科学网图)

ADS概念始于20世纪90年代初,目前尚未有建成的装置。欧、美、日等国的ADS系统研发正在从关键技术攻关转入系统集成建设,中国科学家在这场“竞争”中也有独创成果。

“ADS系统主要组成就是加速器、散裂靶和次临界反应堆。”徐瑚珊说,本月初,研究团队建成国际上第一台ADS超导质子直线加速器前端示范样机,通过了中科院组织的25MeV(兆电子伏特)达标测试。他们还原创性提出颗粒流散裂靶的概念并建成原理样机。此外,研制的国际首台ADS研究专用铅基临界/次临界双模式运行零功率装置通过了中科院组织的临界达标测试,进入实验运行。

中国科学家不满足于此,他们在攻关ADS的同时原创性地提出全新的核能系统概念ADANES(加速器驱动先进核能系统)。后者除了拥有比ADS更先进的燃烧系统,还新增了“加速器驱动乏燃料再生循环系统”。

“由乏燃料‘分离—嬗变’策略的‘精耕细作’,改为‘吃粗粮且吃干榨净’。”徐瑚珊解释说,ADANES一旦实现,将把铀资源利用率由当前的不到1%提高到超过95%,处理后核废料量不到乏燃料的4%。

专家说,2016年至2023年是ADANES原理验证、系统集成及规模验证阶段,力争到2030年时建成百兆瓦级工程示范项目。

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这项技术的突破,将使我国万吨乏燃料变废为宝

还发布了2项A类先导科技专项成果:enjoy:

另据新华社6月8日消息,除“未来先进核裂变能”外,当日的发布会上还发布另外两个A类先导专项,分别是“面向感知中国的新一代信息技术研究”和“低阶煤清洁高效梯级利用关键技术与示范”。

新一代信息技术研究方面,依托信息技术先导专项成果研制的“‘寒武纪1A’深度神经元网络处理器”和“工业4.0互联网制造解决方案”,2016年被世界互联网大会选入世界互联网15大领先科技成果。中科院信息工程研究所所长孟丹说,专项研究提出了“海—网—云协同”的创新理念,突破了专用计算芯片、深度可编程网络等一批关键技术。

低阶煤利用先导专项提出低阶煤清洁高效梯级利用的整体解决方案。该专项在我国“煤变油”技术已批量投产的基础上,致力于解决褐煤、烟煤等大量低阶煤资源难以有效利用的问题,提出低阶煤分级液化的煤制油新工艺。据中新社今年5月报道,这项技术已完成年处理褐煤1万吨的工业中试装置的试验运行,正在新疆规划和设计百万吨级的商业装置。中科院山西煤炭化学研究所所长王建国说,专项突破了10项以上关键示范技术,形成适合我国资源特征的高能效、低污染、低排放和高值化的低阶煤综合利用技术体系。

先导专项是中科院发挥建制化优势,组织优势力量共同实施的跨学科、跨领域的重大科技任务。先导专项分为A、B两类,其中,A类先导专项侧重于突破战略高技术、重大公益性关键核心科技问题,促进技术变革和新兴产业的形成发展,服务我国经济社会可持续发展。

中科院重大科技任务局局长王越超介绍,通过先导专项的实施,取得了一批在国内外有重要影响的重大原创成果,如空间科学专项成功发射暗物质卫星“悟空”、量子卫星“墨子号”,干细胞与再生医学研究专项在“体外”获得功能性精子、脊髓损伤修复等方面取得一系列重大突破,南海环境变化专项为南海可持续开发利用提供强有力的科技支撑等。

http://www.guancha.cn/Industry/2017_06_09_412410.shtml
 
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Technological breakthrough raises nuclear fuel utilization rate: below 1% to 95%

2017-06-09 14:38

People's Daily Online Editor: Wang Zihao

U778P886T1D260904F12DT20170609143805.jpg


Chinese scientists have made a technological breakthrough in the country's nuclear energy program. The new accelerator-driven system (ADS) is able to raise the utilization rate of uranium to 95 percent, a great leap forward from less than 1 percent using the current technology, paving way for a safer, greener nuclear future, said the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at a press conference on June 8.

The new system means that fission energy could be sustainable for roughly 10, 000 years. It's also more environmentally friendly, as it can shorten the radioactive life of used nuclear fuel to less than 500 years, and the volume of disposed nuclear waste can be reduced to less than 4 percent of the conventional amount.

Xu Hushan, vice director of the Institute of Modern Physics under CAS, said the achievement in advanced fission energy is the result of six years of research by the institute. The disappointingly low utilization rate of nuclear fuel and its safe disposal have been key challenges for the nuclear power industry.


http://www.ecns.cn/2017/06-09/260904.shtml

Damn, This is really Good News. :enjoy:
Maybe one of the most important news in this year.

Congratulations China :china:

@AndrewJin @pr1v4t33r @initial_d_mk2
 
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Hope this technology could be commercialised soon

Of course it will be commercialised and the impact will be huge for the monopoly of giant uranium producers like Australia, Russia and Canada to name a few. Uranium stockpile of countries like China (and maybe Pakistan) will multiply by 95x and they will be less vulnerable to political blackmail.
 
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China ice hydrate and now increasing uranium fuel usage from 1% to 95%.

It is possible, all China power station will be nuclear in future.
 
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can anyone explain how the technology works?
 
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can anyone explain how the technology works?

ADS is usually a subcritical reactor, meaning it is a reactor which is not producing enough neutrons to sustain a chain-reaction. To supplement for this, such reactors use an alternative source of neutrons derived from spallation ie bombarding of lead heavy nuclei with alpha particles or protons coming from a accelerator or cyclotron or synchrotron. This releases high energy neutrons which can cause nuclear reaction in fuel which is not enriched enough to sustain a critical chain reaction or in fuels which are though fertile but does not under go fission readily like Thorium and U-238. Further these neutrons can cause nuclear fission in long half life nuclear waste causing them to undergo fission and end-up being stable nuclei. For ADS to be viable, the energy released in fission of fuel should be greater than energy required to run the accelerator. That said ADS reactors will be lesser powerful than conventional reactors unless some new breakthrough happens in ADS.
 
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ADS is usually a subcritical reactor, meaning it is a reactor which is not producing enough neutrons to sustain a chain-reaction. To supplement for this, such reactors use an alternative source of neutrons derived from spallation ie bombarding of lead heavy nuclei with alpha particles or protons coming from a accelerator or cyclotron or synchrotron. This releases high energy neutrons which can cause nuclear reaction in fuel which is not enriched enough to sustain a critical chain reaction or in fuels which are though fertile but does not under go fission readily like Thorium and U-238. Further these neutrons can cause nuclear fission in long half life nuclear waste causing them to undergo fission and end-up being stable nuclei. For ADS to be viable, the energy released in fission of fuel should be greater than energy required to run the accelerator. That said ADS reactors will be lesser powerful than conventional reactors unless some new breakthrough happens in ADS.
ok thanks, so the difference to a conventional reactor is external neutron provider. however how can the utilizition rate be increased from 1 to 95%, considering the energy from the fuel remains unchanged, unless someone knows how to defeat Albert Einstein´s formula E=M*C^2?
 
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