Read the Nuclear Industry Spotlight - Intergraph

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SECTION TITLE GOES HERE Case study: Chinergy Powering Up a Growing Nation Chinergy looks to SmartPlant ® Enterprise for fast project design and implementation n By Jana Miller The eyes of the world are on China, as the country begins development of the very first commercial modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor. This significant new project is being undertaken by the Chinese government, which has assigned the task of building the reactor to Chinergy, a joint venture of Tsinghua Holding Co. Ltd. and the state-owned China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation. Chinergy has begun the process by selecting Intergraph’s SmartPlant 3D and SmartPlant Enterprise software as the core technology for project design and implementation requirements. “After an extensive evaluation of all traditional plant engineering, design and information and materials management applications, we felt the SmartPlant Enterprise suite of solutions would provide an open, modern platform for new systems and the next generation of plant engineering and design,” said Frank Wu, CEO of Chinergy. “In addition, Intergraph’s experienced technical staff can help us better use their technology for the maximum benefit of this project,” he added. As the most populous nation on earth, China’s rapid growth and industrialization have fueled an urgent need for increased power generation. The Future of Nuclear Power, a study by a blueribbon commission headed by former CIA director John Deutch, concluded that in less than 50 years, the country will need nearly as much energy output as is currently produced worldwide today. China has relied on fossil fuels and hydro power to generate nearly all of its energy, but these two traditional means of creating power are already inadequate. Gerhard Sallinger, president of Intergraph Process, Power and Marine, notes that China is experiencing an 8 to 10 percent annual increase in energy demands, compared to the 2 to 3 percent demand increase in the Western Hemisphere. “In the emerging economies, particularly China and India, there will be significant growth. In fact, there are 25 nuclear plants forecast to be built in the next five years in China, compared to only two new plants scheduled to be built in the next 10 years in the U.S. Chinergy’s selection of Intergraph’s SmartPlant Enterprise suite validates our worldwide industry and technology leadership as the premier provider of plant engineering and design technology. Our company’s longterm investment in our vision for engineering enterprise technology is helping drive the revolutionary shift in plant design and engineering, which makes projects like Chinergy’s possible,” he said. Nuclear power development in mainland China began in 1970. While coal continues to be the main energy source in China, most reserves are in the country’s north or northwest, presenting a tremendous logistical problem. Most electricity is 6 Insight Insight: Special Focus
produced from fossil fuels and hydro power. Two large hydro projects are now under construction: one at Three Gorges and another at Yellow River. Nuclear power must be added to the mix in order to meet demand, especially in the coastal regions far from the coalfields and in communities where the economy is rapidly developing. The China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) is responsible for planning and managing the peaceful use of nuclear energy and promoting international cooperation. The CAEA reviews and approves feasibility studies for new plants, although the State Development and Planning Commission is ultimately responsible for final approval. According to Wu, nuclear energy is safe, clean, dependable and stable in cost. “As the country moves forward, nuclear power will become a vital source of electricity and will help reduce China’s dependence on coal, natural gas and oil to drive its rapid growth and modernization. Currently in China, the pressurized water reactor is the priority reactor. Plans call for the high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTR) to be used to supplement current nuclear power generation. This will be a significant addition to the program since the HTR’s absolute quantity is remarkably large,” he said. Wu says China’s new HTR-10 (high- temperature 10 megawatt reactor) will revolutionize nuclear power generation across the globe. The benefits of the pebble bed modular reactor are many, and with the opening of the new plant at Weihai in the Shandong Province in 2012, China will be the first country to commercially venture into this type of nuclear technology. The plant will be owned and operated by Huaneng Group, one of China’s largest independent utilities; China Nuclear Engineering and Construction Corporation, China’s construction company for the nuclear island; and Tsinghua University. The HTR-10 is powered by graphite balls about the size of standard billiards balls packed with tiny flecks of uranium, rather than with the conventional white-hot fuel rods used in existing nuclear reactors. Instead of super-heated water, the core is bathed in inert helium, which can reach much higher temperatures without bursting pipes. No steam means no pressure dome is required to contain it in case of a leak. “First and foremost, this generator will be the safest nuclear power plant ever designed and built,” said Wu. “The major safety issue regarding nuclear reactors lies in how to cool them efficiently, as they continue to produce heat even after shutdown. Gas-cooled reactors, on the other hand, don’t need additional safety systems like water-cooled reactors do, and they discharge surplus heat. Using the existing operating HTR-10 research reactor at the Institute of Nuclear and New Energy Technology of Tsinghua University in Beijing, we have already done what would be unthinkable in a conventional reactor – we switched off the helium coolant and successfully let the reactor cool down by itself,” said Wu. Second, the modular design enables the plant to be assembled much more quickly and costeffectively than traditional nuclear generators. The modules are manufactured from standardized components that can be mass-produced, shipped by road or rail and assembled relatively quickly. The new plants are smaller, and new modules can be added as needed. Multiple reactors can be linked around one or more turbines, all monitored from a single control room. In other words, the HTR-10’s design is tailor-made for the world’s fastest growing energy market. “Regions that are in the process of transforming from rural to industrial can start small, but add new modules as the area and its fuel demands grow,” said Wu. “We can provide them with modules one at a time, if needed. This makes start-up costs affordable and the reactors will be cheaper to operate as they grow, thanks to economies of scale in everything from staff to fuel supply,” he said. The byproduct of the nuclear reactor will be hydrogen, a clean fuel providing alternative, energy saving options that are less harmful to the environment. According to Wu, the HTR-10 is the only reactor which can provide a nuclear heat source to produce hydrogen. Construction of the $300 million plant should begin in 2009, with completion targeted for 2012. This streamlined construction timetable is also a first for the nuclear power industry, where designing and building generators usually take decades, rather than years. Not surprisingly, a number of countries are closely watching these developments in China. Wu said, “Many of my colleagues around the world agree that high-temperature gas-cooled reactors using pebble fuel offer the most potential for commercially meeting the future environmentally friendly needs of global power generation.” Jana Miller is editorial director of Insight. www.chinergy.com.cn Nuclear Industry Insight 7
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