The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power demonstration project [Photo/CNNC] 

A cold functional test for the primary circuit of the first reactor of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power demonstration project was successfully completed on Oct 19.

The high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power demonstration project, one of the National Science and Technology Major Projects, is the first of its kind globally.

Different from the cold functional test of other reactor types, the cold functional test of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power demonstration project uses compressed air as the test medium. It is pressurized in stages to the maximum test pressure of 8.9MPa for the primary loop pressure boundary strength performance test.

Then the test reduces the pressure to 8.0MPa and holds for more than 24 hours to measure the leakage rate of the primary circuit. At the same time, the deformation and displacement of the primary circuit pressure vessel under pressure are investigated, and a preliminary judgment is made on the effectiveness of the supporting system.

The test results show that all indicators of the first reactor of the demonstration project meet the design requirements, effectively verifying the reliability of the quality of manufacturing and installation of nuclear island equipment for the demonstration project.

The cold functional test for the primary circuit of the second reactor of the high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear power demonstration project began in the early morning of Oct 19.