adverts
China to Launch World’s First Accelerator-Driven Nuclear Reactor in 2027
China is building a megawatt-scale accelerator-driven nuclear reactor prototype in Huizhou that is expected to start operating in 2027.
Developed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences together with state nuclear enterprises, the China Initiative Accelerator Driven System is expected to become the world’s first megawatt-level prototype of an accelerator-driven subcritical system (ADS) once operational, according to the South China Morning Post.
ADS reactors use particle accelerators to drive nuclear reactions in a subcritical reactor core. This design allows the system to generate electricity while transforming long-lived radioactive waste into shorter-lived and less hazardous isotopes.
adverts
One of the major challenges in nuclear energy is the long-term management of radioactive waste. The World Nuclear Association says researchers have been exploring technologies capable of breaking down long-lived radionuclides into shorter-lived ones, which could simplify waste disposal and improve the sustainability of nuclear power.
A part of a superconducting accelerator. Photo courtesy of Stony Brook University, U.S.
He Yuan, deputy director of the Institute of Modern Physics, said the new megawatt-scale system could burn uranium up to 100 times more efficiently while reducing the lifespan of nuclear waste to less than one-thousandth of its current duration and help make nuclear power a “green, safe, stable energy source for 1,000 years”, the Science and Technology Daily reported.
He added that there are currently no commercial ADS reactors in operation globally, with only experimental projects.
CAS began research on ADS technology in 2011. In 2021, its team developed a prototype accelerator that reached operational intensity suitable for potential industrial application, according to Interesting Engineering.
Installation of the key superconducting accelerators for the megawatt-scale project in Huizhou is expected to be completed by the end of this year, paving the way for full-scale operations the following year.
Click the link Puretvonline.com | WhatsApp Channel to join the WhatsApp channel
GOT A STORY?
Contact/WhatsApp: +233243201960 or manuelnkansah33@gmail.com
