Sanmen 2 vessel head delivered

Monday, 1 December 2014

The reactor pressure vessel head assembly has been delivered for the second AP1000 unit under construction at the Sanmen plant in China's Zhejiang province.

The vessel head assembly for unit 2 is unloaded from a ship at Sanmen (Image: SNPTC)

The vessel head assembly - manufactured by China First Heavy Industries (CFHI) under the supervision of Westinghouse - was delivered to the construction site on 28 November. It is part of the first domestically-produced AP1000 reactor vessel.

The assembly comprises the vessel head itself, together with the control rod drive mechanisms and measuring devices, as well as the reactor internals. The reactor internals are steel structures that sit within the reactor pressure vessel and support the fuel assemblies and control rods.

Two AP1000s are under construction at the Sanmen site, with another two being built at Haiyang in Shandong province. All four units should be in operation by 2016.

The vessels for the first units at Sanmen and Haiyang were both produced in South Korea by Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction using some forgings fabricated by CFHI. The Chinese company produced the first forging for the component in July 2007 under the supervision of China's National Nuclear Safety Administration and supported by several companies involved in the Sanmen plant project, including State Nuclear Power Technology Corporation (SNPTC), Westinghouse and Doosan.

The vessel for Sanmen 2 was produced by CFHI, while that for the second AP1000 at Haiyang was supplied by Shanghai Electric Group.

SNPTC has a major role in the transfer of knowledge and technology from the plant supplier, Westinghouse, through agreements featured in the 2007 deal to build the units at Sanmen and Haiyang. China wants to progressively become self-sufficient in deploying AP1000s and its own derivatives.

Researched and written
by World Nuclear News