China is testing a prototype micro-reactor that can be carried on a truck, according to Wu Yican, Chief Scientific Adviser to the Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology at the Hefei Institute of Physical Science. He told Science and Technology Daily that the reactor, which has been in development for several years, is the “world’s first 10 MWe vehicle-mounted nuclear power unit”.
“Our team has built the world’s first 10-megawatt-class vehicle-mounted nuclear power project integrated simulation test prototype and is currently promoting demonstration engineering applications,” he said. “The ‘nuclear power bank’ we proposed exemplifies the new generation of nuclear energy systems,” Wu said. “This technology offers exceptional safety in a remarkably compact size and an operational lifespan of decades without recharging.”
He added: “It offers a solution to ‘battery anxiety’ in different applications, including providing power for remote regions and islands, delivering emergency backup power in special environments, propelling ships, powering space systems and supporting AI computing and data centres.”
Wu said the development of next-generation nuclear systems was in full swing, adding that he believed they should be built on the principle of ensuring nuclear safety at the source. “They should be approachable, flexible and intelligent, enabling them to meet the future’s diverse energy needs. “They will have broad applications from microwatt-level nuclear batteries used in heart pacemakers to megawatt-level power supplies used in space and ocean exploration.”
The microreactor project is being developed by the FDS consortium for nuclear technology innovation in China (Fenglin Nuclear Group). “It has the significant advantages of being ultra-safe, ultra-small, and ultra-long-lasting, FDS noted. “It has high fuel utilisation rate, a design life of 30 to 60 years, and a single charge. It can operate for 10 to 30 years. The flexible combination can suit various applications.”
FDS says its R&D team has accumulated more than 30 years of R&D experience and has made cluster-type breakthroughs in the theory and technology of ultra-miniaturization of nuclear energy systems. “It has broken through the core basic theory of advanced nuclear energy system design, independently developed a systematic advanced nuclear energy design software system, mastered a series of key core technology maps of advanced nuclear energy systems, and built a ten-megawatt nuclear reactor power engineering integrated test simulation prototype, laying a solid foundation for the implementation of demonstration application projects.” Currently, it is in the project implementation stage.
“The ultra-small advanced nuclear energy system has the remarkable characteristics of being small and mobile, with a wide power range (kilowatts to hundreds of megawatts). It can be widely used in power supply in remote areas and islands, independent industrial park combined heat and power, equipment/special environment emergency power, ship power, space power, etc. It plays an important role in the national economy and major national strategic needs.”
FDS conducts applied research in the fields of Nuclear Informatics and Software Applications, Neutron Detection and Applications, Advanced Nuclear Energy and Safety, and Radiation Medicine and Applications. It has established an innovative model which integrates the resources of scientific research organisations, universities, high-tech enterprises, and financial institutions. FDS has set up the International Academy of Neutron Science (IANS) with branches in Qingdao, Chongqing, and Hefei. To date, the FDS Consortium has registered more than 20 subsidiary independent legal entities and established six R&D bases located in Chongqing, Qingdao, Nanjing, Hefei, Anqing and Zhanjiang.
