Final to initial fissile

China connected an experimental nuclear reactor that produces less radioactive waste than current designs to the electricity grid today, as the nation seeks safer atomic power after Japan’s Fukushima accident.
The 65-megawatt fast-neutron reactor near Beijing connected to the grid at 40 percent capacity, Xu Mi, chief engineer at the China Experiment Fast Reactor program, said by telephone. The program is run by the China Institute of Atomic Energy.


“The next step for us is to increase the generating capacity of the reactor to 100 percent while connected to grid,” Xu said. “After that, we can use the technology to build our own commercial fast reactors.”


About 20 Fast Neutron Reactors (FNR) have already been operating, some since the 1950s, and some supplying electricity commercially. About 400 reactor-years of operating experience have been accumulated to the end of 2010. Fast reactors more deliberately use the uranium-238 as well as the fissile U-235 isotope used in most reactors. If they are designed to produce more plutonium than they consume, they are called Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR). But many designs are net consumers of fissile material including plutonium. Fast neutron reactors also can burn long-lived actinides which are recovered from used fuel out of ordinary reactors


China plans to start construction of a 1-gigawatt fast reactor at Sanming city in 2018, Xu said. The facility will use the country’s so-called fourth generation nuclear technology, he said.


China National Nuclear Corp. the nation’s biggest operator of atomic plants, plans to start building two 800-megawatt fourth-generation reactors using Russian designs around 2013 or 2014, Xu said today. The reactors will also be at Sanming.