Rolls-Royce, the British engineering firm, has been awarded a "multi-million-euro" contract by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) to provide the Neutron Flux Monitoring System for two nuclear reactors currently under construction in China. The system measures the neutron flux of a reactor, and thus continuously and instantly monitors its power, the fluctuations of that power, as well as its axial and radial distribution within the reactor, Rolls-Royce said.
As part of the contract, Rolls-Royce will provide a complete system using the Spinline digital technology, including ex-core neutron detectors, cables and connections and associated electronic systems, to Zhangzhou units 1 and 2 in China's Fujian province, both of which will use the Hualong One (HPR1000) reactor design.
Stéphane Lessi, director of Rolls-Royce's Civil Nuclear France business unit, said: "For more than 25 years, we have been collaborating with CNNC in China. We are delighted to have signed this new contract, which is further proof of the confidence that CNNC places in our I&C technologies and in our people.”
The system will be designed, manufactured, tested by Rolls-Royce I&C teams based in Grenoble, France. The on-site installation and commissioning will be performed by CNNC, under the supervision of Rolls-Royce I&C teams.
Rolls-Royce has more than 130 such systems installed or chosen for nuclear reactors worldwide, including 42 systems in China.
Six Hualong One units are being built in China. Construction began on a unit at Zhangzhou in September 2019 and at Taipingling in Guangdong in December that year. CNNC is also constructing two units at its Fuqing plant in Fujian province, while China General Nuclear (CGN) is building two at its Fangchenggang site in Guangxi province.
In addition, there are two Hualong One units under construction at Karachi in Pakistan. CGN proposes to use a UK version of its Hualong One design - the HPR1000 - at a prospective new nuclear power plant at Bradwell, England.
