Workers have started the installation of reactor core internals for China’s ACP100 small modular reactor (SMR) demonstration project, the China Nuclear Energy Association said.
Reactor internals are structures inside a nuclear reactor’s pressure vessel that support, guide and contain the nuclear fuel assemblies, control rods and coolant flow.
The 125-MW ACP100, also known as the Linglong One, has a core module as the main component where the nuclear chain reactor happens.
The core module integrates the reactor pressure vessel (RPV), evaporator and main pumps, and removes the need for a main pipeline.
Construction of Linglong One began in July 2021 on a site next to the existing Changjiang nuclear power station in the island province of Hainan, southern China.
The outer containment dome was lifted into place in February 2024 effectively closing the nuclear plant’s containment building.
Developer China National Nuclear Corporation has said the demonstration plant will verify the design, manufacture, construction and operation of the technology.