China has approved the first reactor to use thorium, a fuel that could power the country for 20,000 years.
China has abundant thorium reserves. Photo: IEEE Spectrum
The 2-megawatt (MW) liquid thorium molten salt reactor (MSR) is located in Wuwei City in the Gobi Desert in Gansu Province and is operated by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics under the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The license, issued by the National Nuclear Safety Administration on June 7, allows the institute to manage and operate the reactor for 10 years, starting with test operations. Under the license, the institute will be responsible for the safety of the reactor and must comply with all relevant laws and technical standards.
The thorium MSR is an advanced type of nuclear technology that uses liquids, usually molten salts, as both fuel and coolant. It offers a number of potential advantages over traditional uranium reactors, including increased safety, reduced waste, and improved fuel efficiency. Thorium is more abundant than uranium, and China has large thorium reserves. The new reactor is a major achievement in China's nuclear energy sector, demonstrating the country's progress in developing and deploying advanced nuclear technology.
The project was announced in 2011, but construction only began in 2018. The reactor was originally expected to take six years to build, but scientists and engineers completed the work in about three. It took the environmental agency more than two years to certify that the facility met the highest safety standards.
China is not the first country to build a thorium reactor, but no previous attempt has gone beyond the experimental stage. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in the United States conducted the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment from 1965 to 1969 and successfully demonstrated the feasibility of a thorium MSR. However, they did not move forward with commercial use due to a variety of factors, including budget constraints and changing priorities.
The thorium MSR at Wuwei will undergo testing after fuel loading. The testing will involve the first approach to criticality, the point at which the nuclear reaction can sustain itself. This is an essential step in the reactor’s start-up process, which involves carefully controlled conditions to ensure that the reactor reaches self-sustaining status on a safe path.
Another test involves deliberately shutting down the reactor or reducing the power level below 90% of its maximum capacity. Engineers will monitor the process to ensure that the reactor is operating within safe limits and that any changes or adjustments are monitored. A report of the results will be submitted to the Nuclear Safety Authority within two months of the completion of all tests.
China has one of the world’s largest thorium reserves, estimated to be enough to supply the country’s total electricity needs for more than 20,000 years. If the molten salt reactor is successful and commercially viable, the technology could help China expand nuclear power to its inland cities.
One of the advantages of thorium MSRs is their flexibility in location. Using molten salts as fuel and coolant allows for more efficient heat transfer, eliminating the need for large amounts of water as in conventional reactors. Thorium MSRs could allow China to build nuclear power plants in cities far from coastal areas, thereby reducing its dependence on fossil fuels.
An Khang (According to SCMP )
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