Science and Technology Daily reporter Li Yang
According to Japanese media reports, Japan Atomic Force Research and development agency will join hands with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to jointly participate in the sodium cooled reactor natrium development plan jointly promoted by American start-up Terra power and the U.S. Department of energy through technical cooperation. The United States and Japan will sign a memorandum of cooperation in January. The sodium cooled reactor is planned to start construction in 2024 and officially put into operation in 2028.
Natrium uses sodium as coolant, which can use fast neutrons or thermal neutrons. Therefore, any fissionable isotope in the fuel can undergo a chain reaction, so that the reaction can continue until there are no fissionable elements in the fuel. This determines that the fast reactor can use the waste fuel from the traditional reactor as fuel, truly form the recycling of nuclear fuel, and its economy and environmental protection are greatly improved.
According to the calculation of the American Nuclear Energy Association, the global nuclear energy market will grow four times in 2050, about 224 million yuan, of which the new generation nuclear reactor represented by fast neutron reactor will account for a quarter of the market share, and the prospect of the industry is very promising. At present, both China and Russia have set the goal of completing commercialization by 2030, which is in a de facto “leading” position.
The Biden government has listed climate change as one of its important policies and intends to re-establish its leading and leading position in this field by strengthening technical cooperation with Japan. The output power of the reactor is 345000 kW. At present, it is applying to the U.S. government for subsidies, with a related amount of nearly US $2 billion, accounting for nearly half of the total cost of the project.
Since the 1970s, the United States has reduced R & D investment in fast reactor R & D and lacked relevant technical achievements. Japan has invested heavily in the fast breeder reactor “Manjusri”, but the demonstration reactor project has been frustrated and is currently in waste reactor operation. An official of Japan’s Ministry of economy and industry said that the United States hopes to obtain relevant experience from Japan, including lessons from failure. Japan intends to improve its technical level through cooperation and make technical reserves for restarting China’s new reactors in the future.
Under the guidance of the two major propositions of global decarbonization and energy security, there is a new trend of returning to nuclear power centered on Europe. On November 11, 2021, French President macron said that France would restart the construction of new nuclear power plants. Macron said that in order to ensure that energy does not rely too much on foreign countries and maintain energy prices in a stable range, it is necessary to make new energy investment. On January 1, 2022, the European Commission, the executive organ of the European Union, officially proposed that nuclear energy and natural gas will become the two pillars to promote the transformation towards a low-carbon society. With the accelerating global decarbonization agenda, the policy discussion around the storage and waste of nuclear energy may become more intense.
(Science and technology daily)
