3,000 years of proven uranium resources in China

Uranium utilization increased 60 times times before technology breakthrough storage of spent fuel pool CCTV News Chinese scientists have made significant technological breakthroughs in nuclear research-"the first time the Chinese experimental Fast reactor is critical", which has achieved the recovery of uranium and plutonium materials from the burning nuclear fuel in the nuclear reactor. The first realization of criticality means that China's fourth generation of advanced nuclear power system technology has achieved a major breakthrough, as the world's 8th with fast reactor technology countries.　　And if the plutonium can be recycled on the power pile, it means that, under the existing nuclear power scale, China's proven uranium resources can only be used for about 50-70 years and become sufficient for 3,000 years. The technical name is "power reactor/Spent fuel/post processing technology". Experts recommend that nuclear power generation, is through nuclear fuel in a nuclear reactor fission reaction, releasing energy. and thermal power plants to continue to add coal: when the nuclear fuel can not maintain a certain amount of power, but also need to be replaced. These changed nuclear fuel components are called spent fuel.　　In layman's parlance, spent fuel is similar to the "cinder" in a thermal power station, but it is definitely not "cinder" but "Big Baby". Because of the world's nuclear power technology, nuclear fuel burning only 3%-4% or so, can not maintain the rated power.　　And these nuclear fuel in the combustion process, but also generate new nuclear fuel. China Nuclear group after the pilot project engineer Wang Jian: "Then this time we need to take the nuclear fuel reprocessing, that is, through a series of chemical processes to the nuclear power plant has not burned the nuclear fuel, as well as the new production of nuclear fuel, and then made our nuclear power needed fuel components." "The principle of recycling sounds simple, but the operation is extremely difficult." How to these extremely strong nuclear radiation, the human body has fatal damage to the components for cutting, separation, extraction, purification and so on? Every step is a problem.　　After 24 years of scientific research, after repeated experiments, our scientists finally broke through a full set of technical system. Wang Jian: "Completely rely on our national independent design, independent construction, independent research and development of such a facility." "The Wang Junfeng of the China Nuclear group's post-processing pilot project," The last time we produced qualified uranium products and plutonium products, we succeeded. "Sun Qin, general manager of China Nuclear Industry Group:" In the nuclear fuel industry, we are very few to form a nuclear fuel cycle of a country, so, in the international level of the entire technology, technological levels, we will be able to have the right to speak, and even can play a certain role in guiding. "Previously, France, the United Kingdom, Russia, Japan, India and other countries to grasp the power reactor spent fuel reprocessing technology, but for their core technology system each country is strictly confidential."　　And China's nuclear fuel has been developed for more than 20 years, there are already 13 of the established nuclear power units, each year will produce a large number of spent fuel components, in the absence of this technology has only one approach-save. Small knowledge fast Reactor technology neutron reactors (fast reactor for short) belong to the fourth generation nuclear energy system technology in the worldApplication, and the current operation and construction of the second generation, the third generation of nuclear power plant, the formation of closed-cycle nuclear fuel, can increase the utilization of uranium resources to more than 60% (the existing nuclear power plant is only 1%, that is 60 times times the increase). As the utilization rate increases, the relatively poor uranium mines have the value of mining. Worldwide, the availability of uranium is expected to increase by hundreds of thousand. Based on the current proven natural uranium reserves, the use of fast reactors can make the uranium resources sustainable utilization for more than 3,000 years.