China has completed the installation of its first main process equipment of research prototype integrated bench for the dry reprocessing of spent nuclear fuels. This marks a significant leap from stand-alone R&D to full system integration of the dry reprocessing main process equipment in the integrated closed-cycle fast reactor nuclear energy system, laying a solid foundation for subsequent verification tests.

The dry reprocessing research prototype integration bench is designed to simulate conditions in hot cell, including remote operation, maintenance, and material transfer. It serves as a verification platform for multiple designs of the dry reprocessing technology.

Since the commencement of the installation work, the project team from the China Institute of Atomic Energy under the China National Nuclear Corporation has worked tirelessly and overcome challenges such as high technical complexity and demanding cross-disciplinary coordination. Over the span of three months, the team successfully completed the construction of the main structure, installation of the main process equipment, and setup of supporting systems including electrical components, finishing the installation task three days ahead of schedule.