Basic become coal cinder, coal burning after after the burning, but the nuclear power plant nuclear fuel components cannot be referred to as "cores" slag, more cant like coal processing. "A lot of people will burn fuel called nuclear waste or nuclear waste, this is the wrong way, spent fuel is the correct address", in the nuclear four "four co., LTD. (hereinafter referred to as the" four companies) chief engineer wang said.

The company has been named digital with a mysterious color. Four four company is located in the west of hexi corridor in gansu province, the huge under the qilian mountain in the gobi desert, for its location, few people know. Chinas only power reactor spent fuel reprocessing pilot plant was built in the middle.

Here at the beginning of construction, desolate, climate conditions, not even a tree. Now, here is the most important industry production and processing base in China. Nuclear in the end of December 2010, four four pilot projects, as Chinas first power reactor spent fuel reprocessing pilot plant hot commissioning is successful, to achieve the goal of Chinas nuclear fuel closed cycle, also marks the Chinese have mastered power reactor spent fuel reprocessing technology.

The spent fuel is also called the irradiated nuclear fuel, refers to the reactor spent fuel combustion, after a certain time from discharged from the reactor. Nuclear fuel element after the fission reaction power, about 95% of uranium is not burning, at the same time, after reaction, and produce some new species, such as 1% 1% of plutonium and other species.

The rest of these resources can be made into new nuclear fuel element again, so you need to spent fuel reprocessing, extracting the available raw materials, recycling, so as to improve the utilization of uranium resources. On the other hand, because of the spent fuel is radioactive, so in the entire nuclear fuel cycle system, spent fuel reprocessing is a link that nots allow to ignore.

For the treatment of spent nuclear fuel, the international basic can be divided into two kinds, one kind is the spent fuel directly after cooling, packing as waste into the deep geological disposal or storage for a long time, such as the United States, Canada and other countries adopt this way.

Additionally one kind is closed nuclear fuel cycle post-processing, the spent fuel into the plant, after will contain 96% of useful material for separation and recycling, cured after will waste transmutation in deep geological disposal or layer separation.

China adopts closed fuel cycle post-processing strategy. At the same time, by the way are France, Japan, Russia, India and other countries.

A 10 trillion nuclear power units a year to produce about 20 tons of spent nuclear fuel. According to Chinas nuclear power industry association, according to data released by the end of June 2015, Chinas commercial operation of the nuclear power unit, a total of 25 units, with more than 23 gw. By this measure, China has produced large-scale spent fuel.

By 2020, China can achieve 58 gw of nuclear power, Chinas nuclear power plant spent fuel will exceed 1000 tons each year. As a result, Chinas spent fuel reprocessing is Chinas nuclear power industry in the future, an important and need to urgently needs to promote the development of the industry.

In general, the nuclear power plant have the spent fuel storage pool, its discharge reactor spent fuel will be temporarily stored in the pool. Due to plant their own storage tank capacity is limited, you need to spent nuclear fuel for professional transportation, to the reprocessing plant. Wang said that the spent fuel reprocessing takes to accept and storage, shear and dissolution, decontamination, separation, purification recovery steps.

In the middle of the four "four company reprocessing pilot plant in the spent fuel storage facility, journalists see interface, spent fuel, in a special shelf, was put in about a dozen meters deep blue pools, waiting for further processing. The water in the pool is ordinary deionized water, natural materials is to isolate radiation.

As nuclear power older powers of France, the commercial nuclear power plant spent fuel reprocessing and recycling industry walk in the forefront of the world, the largest and the most mature technology, technology is also the most advanced.

France currently spent fuel reprocessing ability is 1600 tons/year, built two new annual processing capacity of 800 tons of plant. The UK spent fuel capacity is located in the second, processing capacity of 1200 tons/year, followed by Japan, processing capacity of 800 tons/year.

The spent fuel reprocessing industry in China is still in the early stages of development. In 2012, the nuclear group released the "2020" longteng technology innovation plan, the first batch of selected projects, including with Chinas independent intellectual property rights of 200 tons of large commercial spent fuel reprocessing demonstration project. According to the "longteng 2020" plan, the demonstration project and the project will be completed 2020 years ago or construction.

Another commercial reprocessing companies also have in the pipeline. In April 2013, with the French nuclear group areva has signed a large Chinese commercial reprocessing - recycling plant project cooperation letter of intent, will adopt international advanced spent fuel reprocessing - recycling technology of construction, improving the utilization ratio of uranium resources, reduce the quantity of nuclear waste. The factory plans to build 800 tons of spent nuclear fuel reprocessing ability.

According to the journal of China national nuclear, the current method of negotiations between the two sides in the contract, the technical annex has been completed, the project progress is expected in 2029 to complete the reprocessing facility thermal test, officially put into operation in 2030.