Fuqing Unit 5, the first HPR1000 demonstration project owned by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC), hoisted and installed a pressure vessel into the reactor on Jan 28.

It marked the start of the unit’s all-round installation phase of critical components. The pressure vessel is not only the core device of the HPR1000 reactors, but also the key part of China’s third-generation nuclear power reactors, which were independently developed and produced by domestic research teams.

The vessel represents currently the highest level product of third-generation nuclear power technology. As the core container of nuclear fusion, the pressure vessel plays an essential role in guaranteeing nuclear security. It’s also the only critical device that cannot be replaced in a nuclear power plant. It allows nuclear fusion to be maintained under controlled temperatures and pressures. 

Compared to second-generation advanced nuclear units, the HPR1000 pressure vessel has been manufactured to the latest standards, and it has high specification demands in design, material production, welding, and machinery.

The HPR1000 pressure vessel was designed by the Nuclear Power Institute of China, a subsidiary of CNNC, and was manufactured by China First Heavy Industries.

The pressure vessel is the latest demonstration that the design and manufacturing technologies of nuclear power equipment in China are now at the forefront of global nuclear technology.

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