N-A-A Chapter 317 Nuclear Power Plant Completed
Chapter 317 Nuclear Power Plant Completed
The thick stainless steel plate, after being polished, emits a cool glow under the light.
"Lift it into place, prepare for welding!" Li Yang gave the order, and everyone immediately took action. A huge circular crane slowly lifted the pressure shell from the overhead cantilever.
This one is more than ten meters high.
The huge monster weighing hundreds of tons looks like a giant dragon emerging from a cave, with extraordinary momentum.
It was hoisted steadily into the pool, centered, aligned, and fixed. The whole process was orderly. "Welding equipment in place! Protective equipment in place!" The workers quickly set up the welding platform and put on heavy lead suits.
Li Yang personally took charge of the operation, put on a mask and picked up the plasma welding gun.
Sparks flew everywhere, and the dazzling electric arc drew a graceful arc in the darkness.
Under his skillful operation, neat and uniform welds appeared at the connection between the pressure shell and the head.
At this moment, everyone's heart was involuntarily hanging with the dancing of the electric arc. The next step was to connect the crucial main pipeline with the primary circuit pipeline.
This requires multiple automatic welding machines to work simultaneously and in coordination without any mistakes.
Li Yang was on full alert, staring at the huge equipment with a sharp gaze.
"Three. Two. One, start welding!" With his order, several dazzling welding lights lit up at the same time.
Next comes the core loading and pressure testing.
Freshly-baked fuel assemblies were carefully loaded one by one.
……
Li Yang led a group of technical experts, working day and night in the reactor plant.
Pressure vessels, core assemblies, control rod drive mechanisms... one key piece of equipment and component after another was put into place one by one, linked together, under their careful assembly.
During this period, Li Yang took care of everything himself, no matter how big or small.
Wherever welding is needed, he will personally demonstrate;
When he encountered difficult problems, he discussed them with experts on the spot.
Every step and every link represents his hard work.
Hard work pays off. After months of continuous efforts, a brand new pressurized water reactor finally rose from the ground at the Binhai Nuclear Power Plant!
"Commander, all installation work has been completed and the main structure of the reactor has taken shape." Li Yang wiped the sweat from his face and excitedly reported to Liu Ziliang and General Lin.
Upon hearing the good news, the two old leaders' eyes lit up.
Liu Ziliang stepped forward, patted Li Yang on the shoulder, and said sincerely: "Little Li, you have done a great job this time! With this domestically produced reactor, we
Our nuclear power industry has a solid foundation!"
General Lin nodded repeatedly: "Yes, I didn't expect you to be so capable. You can always create miracles at critical moments! Now, the construction of a large nuclear power base is just around the corner!"
In response to the leader's praise, Li Yang waved his hands and said modestly: "Sir, you are too kind. This is all due to the wise leadership of the Party and the great scientific and technological workers.
It's the result of the joint efforts of the authors. I just added bricks and tiles. "
As he spoke, a determined light flashed in his eyes again.
"The next step is to start the commissioning and first criticality of the reactor. This is a critical step in determining whether the nuclear power plant can generate electricity normally, and there is no room for error!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Ziliang also said seriously: "Xiao Li, you are right. The safe and stable operation of the nuclear reactor is of great importance. We must be extremely cautious and be fully prepared!"
Li Yang nodded, looked around, and said to the technical experts present: "Comrades, the next task is very arduous. We must not only build a safe and reliable reactor, but also create a brilliant achievement!
I hope everyone will continue to work hard, work hard, and throw themselves into the new battle with full enthusiasm!"
"Please rest assured, Chief. We will live up to our mission!" Everyone said in unison, full of fighting spirit.
In the following days, Li Yang led the team and worked non-stop on the preparations for reactor debugging.
The first to be affected is the critical experiment.
The so-called criticality means that the nuclear fission reaction in the reactor must reach a self-sustaining critical state to provide a continuous source of energy for power generation.
To achieve criticality, the neutron flux density in the reactor must be precisely controlled to ensure that the fission reaction is within a safe and controllable range. This places extremely high demands on the design of the core and the selection of fuel.
Li Yang concentrated on thinking and quickly came up with a thorough experimental plan:
"The first step is loading. Considering safety and economy, we use low-enriched uranium as the initial loading, and the abundance of uranium 235 is controlled at about 2‰." He pointed at the drawing, "The fuel rods are arranged in a basket-like multi-layer layout, and are equipped with boron poison absorbers and moderators on the periphery to effectively suppress neutron escape."
Then, he arranged: "The critical experiment should be carried out in multiple steps.
First, open the reactor core cover and slowly load the fuel assembly, while closely monitoring the changes in the neutron injection rate;
Stop when the filling is 2/3, measure the critical mass, and conduct the first critical experiment;
By slowly raising and lowering the control rods, the neutronic characteristics of the core are examined;
Finally, replenish the fuel and push the core to zero power criticality at an extremely slow speed..."
After this deployment, everyone present nodded repeatedly and became more convinced of this young chief designer.
In the following period of time, Li Yang was in command in the reactor building with a sharp look in his eyes.
Sometimes he stared at the jumping numbers on the dashboard to judge the status of the core; sometimes he observed the progress of fuel loading through the monitor.
The tense and orderly figures exuded a confidence of victory.
Under his correct leadership, the critical experiment progressed very smoothly.
When the last fuel rod was loaded and the monitoring system sent the signal of "criticality reached", everyone present breathed a sigh of relief and clenched their fists excitedly. "Success! Our reactor has successfully achieved its first criticality!" someone shouted excitedly.
"Great! This will be a milestone in the history of nuclear power development in our country!"
"We must not let the organization down and make sure the reactor runs well!"...
People came forward to congratulate Li Yang and express their high respect to the heroes who participated in the critical experiment. Looking at the people filled with joy of victory, Li Yang also showed a gratified smile on his face.
However, he knew that this was just the beginning.
There is still a long way to go to make nuclear reactors operate stably, safely and efficiently.
Next, they have to complete a series of large-scale experiments:
Cold functional test to assess the performance and matching degree of the reactor and its auxiliary systems;
Hot functional test, to check the overall performance of the reactor under high temperature and pressure;
Physical tests to comprehensively examine the nuclear characteristics of the core and optimize the design of fuel assemblies;
Power boost test, gradually increase the reactor power, and finally reach full power generation...
Every link is crucial and cannot tolerate any negligence.
To this end, Li Yang carefully organized and deployed, formulated a detailed test plan, clarified the division of labor, implemented responsibilities, and strictly controlled the process.
In terms of security, we are on high alert.
He required all participants to strictly abide by the operating procedures and remain vigilant at all times.
Each safety protection system must be calibrated repeatedly to ensure sensitivity and reliability;
Each on-duty personnel must undergo rigorous training and master the handling of various abnormal working conditions. At the same time, Li Yang also started to prepare for power generation and grid connection and other follow-up work.
"The steam turbine generator of Unit 1 must be overhauled in advance to ensure it is in good condition," he instructed his subordinates, "and the circuit breakers connected to the power grid and secondary equipment such as transformers must also be carefully inspected to eliminate hidden dangers."
"The transmission line is our lifeline. We need to strengthen inspections of the towers and insulators along the way to prevent damage and discharge."
Every deployment he made was filled with his earnest expectations for the construction of the national power grid.
In that era of material scarcity, coal-fired power plants were highly dependent on railway transport capacity and often had to wait for trains to deliver coal.
If the nuclear power plant is built, it will not only provide stable and reliable electricity, but also greatly alleviate the tight transportation capacity and provide a boost to the industrialization of the new Yan country.
Take off and inject surging power!
Thinking of this, Li Yang's fighting spirit became even higher and his confidence doubled.
Under his leadership, everyone worked hard day and night, racing against time and working hard to become stronger.
One by one, we conquered the test nodes one by one;
One technical difficulty after another was successfully overcome.
In particular, in physical experiments, they optimized the distribution of fuel components through careful measurement and calculation, further improving the critical mass.
The neutron utilization rate of the core is improved.
This not only reduces operating costs, but also lays a solid foundation for the subsequent substantial increase in reactor power.
In this way, after more than half a year of working day and night, the nuclear power team led by Li Yang finally completed all the debugging and testing tasks.
On the eve of preparing to generate electricity and connect to the grid, the Binhai Nuclear Power Station welcomed a group of special guests.
From the top to the local level, from the military to the local level, more than 30 leaders came to the scene and cordially visited the builders who were fighting on the front line.
As the chief designer, Li Yang reported the project progress and trial operation to all the leaders, which was highly praised.
"I didn't expect that in such a short period of time, we have our own nuclear power technology and built a large commercial nuclear power plant. This is a great feat!"
"This will be an important milestone in the history of my country's energy development. Comrade Xiao Li has made an indelible contribution. The Party and the people will remember your historical contribution!"
The praise from the leaders made Li Yang extremely excited and his heart was filled with emotion.
He said again: "Commander, this is all due to the wise leadership of the organization and the joint efforts of all the participants. We will definitely live up to our mission and make
The country's energy industry has made new contributions!"
Along with the sonorous oath, familiar scenes reappeared in Li Yang's mind:
Those engineers who worked day and night to study and design for the dream of nuclear power;
Those builders who braved the scorching heat and severe cold and stayed on the front line of construction;
Those workers who gave up their vacation and worked overtime to rush the equipment...
It is the sons and daughters of China Yan, generation after generation, who, with their youth and passion, have supported the future of nuclear power in the new Yan country!
Tears blurred Li Yang's eyes, but his heart was filled with great ambition.
We are worthy of this great era and the people's trust! The time has come, and the final feat is about to begin!
Li Yang wiped away his tears, put on his helmet again, and walked towards the control room with unprecedented enthusiasm. This day is destined to become a glorious page in the history of Zhongyan and another monument to national rejuvenation!
Li Yang slowly stepped into the control room, his eyes fixed on the huge display screen in the middle.
The jumping numbers and curves above indicate that the parameters of the reactor have stabilized.
The core thermal power has reached the rated value, the neutron injection rate is stable, and the coolant temperature and pressure are normal...
Everything is ready, waiting for his final order.
Li Yang took a deep breath and looked around the control room, his eyes sweeping over every nervous and excited face.
"Comrades, we have been preparing for this day for too long. After everyone's joint efforts, a large pressurized water reactor nuclear power plant with a power of 30 kilowatts will soon be completed and put into operation!"
His voice was sonorous and powerful, echoing throughout the control room.
"This is not only a major breakthrough in my country's energy development, but also a glorious chapter in the exploration of the peaceful use of nuclear energy by the Yan people!
We must cherish this hard-earned achievement, and ensure the safe and stable operation of the unit with a high sense of responsibility and extreme caution.
OK!" "Please rest assured, Chief, we will live up to your trust!" Everyone said in unison, full of fighting spirit.
Li Yang nodded and focused his eyes on the main console again.
He slowly raised his right hand and pressed the "Turbine Start" button.
Suddenly, a roar came from far away and near, and deafening sounds were heard from the reactor building and the steam turbine building at the same time.
High-temperature and high-pressure steam rushed along the pipeline to the turbine. The huge rotor began to rotate slowly and soon turned into a silver-white disk.
Along with the "whoosh" sound breaking through the air, the generator also made a cheerful hum.
The thick excitation coil began to rotate at high speed, and sparks jumped on the collector ring. The power indicator lighted up, and the green number "30 kilowatts" was displayed steadily on it.
Everyone's eyes were focused on the flashing numbers.
Their hearts were filled with emotions and their eyes were filled with tears.
The dream of many years, the expectation of many generations, became a reality at this moment!
"Success! We have successfully connected to the grid and generated electricity!" Some people could no longer contain their excitement and cheered.
"Great! Binhai Nuclear Power Plant will continuously provide light to the land of China!"
"This is a new starting point for Yan's nuclear power industry. We must continue to work hard and make further progress!"...
Applause, cheers, and slogans interweave into a sea of jubilation.