The regulator equipment of Project K-2 at Karachi Nuclear Power Plant accomplished factory hydraulic pressure test in Pakistan on Oct 16.

The project is the first overseas reactor of the HPR1000 independently designed by Nuclear Power Institute of China, a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation, and undertaken by Harbin Electric Corporation (QHD) Heavy Equipment Company Limited.

It has been reported that all the test indicators of the regulator equipment meet the design standards, marking a solid step in the process of exporting China’s independently researched and developed third-generation nuclear power technology.

HPR1000 has been recognized as China’s third-generation nuclear power technology with independent intellectual property rights and is also a typical representative of the exportation of China’s nuclear power industry.

The regulator is one of the core devices of the coolant system of the pressurized water reactor at the nuclear power plant, and its main function is to control the pressure fluctuation of the primary circuit, to compensate the water volume of the primary circuit, and to prevent the system from overpressure.

It usually undergoes frequent thermal shock with severe operating conditions, signifying that its manufacturing quality is critical to the safe and stable operation of the whole nuclear power plant. 

Furthermore, the hydraulic pressure test is a key node for examining its overall strength, tightness and the quality of the main welding seam.