The simulator for Phase I (units 1 and 2) of the Lianjiang plant project is the first CAP1000 reactor type full-scope simulator to adopt State Power Investment Corporation’s (SPIC’s) proprietary virtual NuCON simulation system. Developed entirely by SPIC’s technical units and built according to the latest 2021 simulator construction standards, the project team adopted a highly integrated and collaborative model.
On 28 November last year, a factory acceptance meeting for the simulator was held at SPIC Automation. In accordance with the contract and testing outline requirements, all 214 test procedures were completed with a 100% pass rate. SPIC noted the deviations of Class 1 and Class 2 were cleared to zero, meeting the factory acceptance conditions and requirements.
Having been delivered to the site, on 29 January the simulator completed on-site acceptance testing, “marking a new stage in the overall delivery and application of the full-range simulator project for the Lianjiang Nuclear Power Phase I project”, SPIC said.
“The review panel consisted of senior experts from domestic nuclear power design, operation, research and technical support fields,” it said. “Based on strict technical specifications and national standards, they conducted a comprehensive and detailed inspection of the simulator’s full-range simulation accuracy, real-time response performance, human-machine interface realism, fault simulation completeness and training scenarios.
“After comprehensive evaluation, the review panel unanimously agreed that the simulator system operates stably and reliably, and its overall performance meets the training and usage needs of operators.”
Simulators are a vital piece of equipment for training plant operators, both at the start of their careers and for their continuing training.
“It is a safe and reliable tool for nuclear power plant operators to improve their operational capabilities and management skills,” SPIC said. “The full-range simulator’s main control room is built to a 1:1 scale, completely replicating the scene inside a real nuclear power plant’s main control room under actual working conditions. It can simulate various normal, fault, and accident conditions during nuclear power plant operation.”
The first phase of the Lianjiang nuclear power plant project – the first coastal nuclear power project developed and constructed by SPIC in Guangdong – will comprise two CAP1000 units. The site is eventually expected to house six such reactors. It is the first nuclear power plant in China to adopt seawater secondary circulation cooling technology, and is the first to develop and use a super-large cooling tower.
The construction of the first two 1250 MWe CAP1000 reactors – the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000 – at the Lianjiang site was approved by China’s State Council in September 2022. Excavation works for the units began in the same month. The first safety-related concrete for the nuclear island of unit 1 was poured in September 2023 and that of unit 2 in April 2024. Lianjiang unit 1 is expected to be completed and put into operation in 2028.
