Development status and future prospect of floating nuclear power plant

First, the overall overview of floating nuclear power plants

(1) The United States first proposed the concept of floating nuclear power plants at sea, and focused on the development of beam nuclear power plants

In the 1950s, based on the successful application experience of nuclear-powered ships, the United States, the Soviet Union and other countries actively explored the multi-field application prospect of nuclear energy, and launched a number of exploratory research projects such as nuclear aircraft, rockets and automobiles. However, under the superimposed influence of multiple negative factors such as technology, economy and politics, most of the projects were abandoned after initial exploration, and only the SL2 small nuclear power plant developed by the United States entered the substantive stage. The device was developed to power military bases in remote areas such as Alaska, but it was scrapped after a core meltdown due to design flaws. After this, the U.S. military designed the MH-1A nuclear power plant on the barge Sturgis in 1963, mainly for the power supply in the Panama Canal area, which operated from 1968 to 1975, and was eventually retired due to high operating costs and changes in military plans.

In 2014, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) proposed a "Offshore Floating Nuclear Plant" (OFNP) design concept. The so-called Spar Type nuclear power plant. This type of nuclear power plant is a huge cylinder in the shape of a number of water-sealed compartments, the bottom is equipped with a nuclear reactor and cooling system, and through a multi-point mooring system, in a semi-submersible form fixed in the sea water 10km to 20km offshore. At the top of this type of nuclear power plant, there are also designed work buildings, living buildings and apron buildings to facilitate the production and life of nuclear power plant staff. As one of the current international mainstream floating nuclear power plant forms, beam nuclear power plant has certain advantages in earthquake resistance, environmental protection and other aspects, and in the event of a reactor accident, it can open the watertight chamber to use endless seawater to cool the reactor, which is safer than traditional nuclear power plants.

OFNP nuclear power plant

(2) Russia built and successfully operated the world's first barge-type nuclear power plant

During the Cold War, the development and utilization of nuclear energy in the United States and the Soviet Union enabled the rapid development of nuclear power technology. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia has made many achievements in the field of nuclear energy application with the accumulation of relevant technologies. Especially after the establishment of the State Atomic Energy Group Corporation (Rosatom), Russia has comprehensively upgraded nuclear power production, nuclear power export and other links, and the level of nuclear power technology has been further improved. In 2019, the State Atomic Energy Corporation began construction of the Barge Type nuclear power plant Akademik Lomonosov. The barge is approximately 144 meters long and 30 meters wide, displacing 21,500 tons, and is equipped with two 35MW modified KLT-40S reactors, which can provide up to 70MWe of power and 300 MWT of thermal energy, with an overall operating life of approximately 40 years. In May 2020, the "Academician Lomonosov" nuclear power plant realized commercial operation in the Chukotskiy autonomous region of Russia's Far East, which can meet the needs of local residents and industrial enterprises for electricity, heating, seawater desalination and other needs.

Although the Akademik Lomonosov is not equipped with a propulsion system, it can easily move to any required area of operation by tugboats, and it is relatively good in terms of maneuverability. At the same time, the nuclear power plant adopts a relatively mature large-scale ship manufacturing technology, so it has obvious advantages in technology maturity, cost and other aspects, and has outstanding performance in development, production and application. In addition, the plant is the world's only operating floating nuclear power plant and the world's northernmost nuclear device to date, and its successful operation experience is of great significance for the large-scale construction of floating nuclear power plants worldwide.

Russian "Lomonosov" nuclear power plant

(3) France is committed to the development of sunken nuclear power plants by taking advantage of traditional nuclear power

In the field of nuclear power application, France has long been in the forefront of the world, and has become the country with the highest proportion of nuclear power generation in the world. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), nuclear power will account for 69% of France's electricity generation in 2021, far outstripping hydropower, wind and natural gas. With the advantages of traditional nuclear power, France began to study floating nuclear power plants in 2008. DCNS, a French nuclear submarine maker now known as Naval Group, proposed a Submerged Type, a cylindrical, fully modular mobile nuclear power plant, using a nuclear submarine as a prototype. And joint Areva (Areva), Electricite de France (EDF) and other large nuclear power companies to develop it.