China's latest steam generator is set to power a nuclear unit in East China's Fujian Province, reports said Monday.
The Hualong One ZH-65 steam generator, a domestically developed third-generation reactor, was designed for the No.5 unit of the Fuqing Nuclear Plant in Fujian Province, a project of the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).
The generator arrived at the nuclear power plant wharf on Friday, and is ready to be installed on the nuclear unit, the Science and Technology Daily quoted Wang Guangjin, a research fellow at the Nuclear Power Institute of China, and also a delegate of the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, as saying.
The generator was shipped from Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province on October 17, the Xinhua News Agency reported.
Being the biggest steam generator in the Fuqing Nuclear Plant, with more than 10,000 parts inside the machine, the Hualong One ZH-65 earned the nickname "lung of nuclear power," the Science and Technology Daily reported.
Wang said the generator is a technological breakthrough and ushers in domestic-made steam generators.
"Five years ago, the design and intellectual property of the steam generators were still in hands of a few foreign companies from the US and France. All steam generators in China's major nuclear plants were imported," Wang told the Science and Technology Daily said.
Wang said he believes the generator is globally competitive because it has lower outlet humidity and a higher power-weight ratio than previous versions.
The Hualong One was jointly designed by China's two nuclear power giants, China General Nuclear Power Group and CNNC, and a national panel approved of it in August 2014.
Along with Huanglong One, the generator is expected to be sold in Argentina and the UK in the future, as the Chinese companies have signed agreements to promote their third-generation nuclear power technology, news site yicai.com reported.