The CA20 module for unit 4 at China’s Haiyang NPP Shandong province has been hoisted into place. It coincides with the first anniversary of the Haiyang Nuclear Power Phase II project, according to the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research & Design Institute (SNERDI).
The CA20 module is a box-shaped steel plate wall structure, which is 20.5 metres long, 14.2 metres wide, and 21 metres in height. The module itself weighs 875 tonnes, and the total hoisting weight is about 1,090 tonnes. It is the heaviest component of the CAP1000 reactor. SNERDI said the module is located in zones 5 & 6 of the auxiliary plant, and is part of the used fuel storage, transmission, heat exchange and waste collection facilities.
SNERDI carefully planned and coordinated the installation based on the experience of installing the CA20 component at Haiyang 3 using modular construction to ensure safety and quality. High-precision three-dimensional laser scanning measurement technology was used to generate a three-dimensional visualisation space point cloud model to simulate the hoisting process. This made possible collision analysis to adjust and deal with interference problems, to organise modelling and analysis of the centre of gravity and module levelling.
The smooth placement of the CA20 module at Haiyang 4 “has created good conditions for subsequent continuous construction and guaranteed realisation of the optimal construction period”. SNERDI noted. The CAP1000 reactor design, which is the Chinese version of the Westinghouse AP1000, uses modular construction techniques, enabling large structural modules to be built at factories and then installed at the site.
The Haiyang NPP currently has two operating AP1000 units, and in 2021 two CAP1000 units were approved by China's State Council for Phase II (units 3 & 4) of the plant. First concrete was poured for the nuclear island of Haiyang 3 in July 2022, with that for unit 4 in April this year. The planned construction period for Haiyang 3 & 4 is 56 months.
Image: Installation of the CA20 module at unit 4 of the Haiyang nuclear power plant in China’s Shandong Province
