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According to Russian media reports, China has made significant progress in the miniaturization of high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactors, and China is expected to launch nuclear-powered strategic bombers before the United States and Russia.
The new nuclear-powered strategic long-range bomber being developed by China is codenamed "Five Star Light". Once it comes out, it will raise the level of China's strategic nuclear deterrence to an unprecedented height and ensure China's long-term peace.
(i) Five Star Light nuclear-powered strategic bomber
According to media reports, the aircraft is designed to have a cruising speed of Mach 3.6 and can fly at high speed in the atmosphere for three and a half months, and can also stay in outer space for a year.
Imagination of the five-star light nuclear-powered strategic bomber
The aircraft can carry between 100 and 200 nuclear bombs, and the number of nuclear bombs will be determined by the density and scale of the target it is intended to attack. It has a two-stage warhead with several guided high-speed cruise warheads, and its striking power is unprecedented.
The H-6, a conventionally powered bomber already in service in China, is a medium-sized twin-engine jet bomber developed and produced on the basis of the Soviet Union's Tupolev Tu-16 bomber. The H-6 can carry up to six AKD-20 air-launched cruise missiles to carry out strike missions, with a maximum range of 9,000 kilometers.
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The H-20, a new type of stealth strategic bomber currently being developed by China, has supersonic penetration capability and ultra-long range across continents. The aircraft has a high level of on-board electronics, and has a large capacity of data fusion and transmission capabilities. The H-20 is expected to enter service from 2025.
Diagram of the H-20 model
With the hardware and software system of the H-20 and equipped with China's newly developed small high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor, the prototype of the five-star light nuclear-powered strategic long-range bomber will be born.
Why is the Five Star Light nuclear-powered strategic long-range bomber equipped with a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor instead of other types of nuclear reactors? This should start with the working principle and characteristics of the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor.
(The information in this article is textbook-level popular science knowledge, and does not involve any confidential or confidential information, please feel free to read!)
(ii) The working principle of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors
High-temperature gas-cooled reactors use ceramic-coated pellet fuel elements, with high-temperature-resistant graphite as a moderator and chemically inert helium as a coolant, as the name suggests, "gas-cooled". The outlet temperature of helium can be as high as 750°C-950°C, so it is called "high temperature".
The working principle of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor is:
(1) When the nuclear fuel in the reactor undergoes a nuclear fission reaction, the heat released is carried into the steam generator by the helium gas flowing through the core, and the liquid water on the other side of the steam generator is heated and vaporized. The cooled helium returns to the core to continue cooling the reactor, creating a closed loop.
(2) The water vapor on the other side of the steam generator is brought into the turbine generator set to convert the heat energy into electrical energy.
How high-temperature gas-cooled reactors work
(iii) Characteristics of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors
(1) High-temperature gas-cooled reactors are inherently safe
Without relying on external power, signals and coolants, the reactor can ensure that the core nuclear fission reaction does not get out of control, take away the waste heat of the core in time to ensure that the core does not melt down, and firmly wrap the radioactive material to ensure that the radioactivity does not leak.
The intrinsic safety features of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors ensure that nuclear power plants avoid accidents similar to those at Three Mile Island in the United States, Chernobyl in the former Soviet Union, and Fukushima in Japan.
(2) Modular reactor design
The principle is to divide the reactor into small modules, each of which can operate independently, and then combine the steam produced by itself into the turbine-generator set.
The power density of each small module is relatively low. In the event of an accident, the waste heat of the core can be carried out passively through heat conduction and heat radiation to avoid core melting.
Thanks to the modular design, the size of the nuclear power plant can be flexibly configured according to the power demand. This makes high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plants more adaptable and flexible.
(3) Independent research and development of high-temperature resistant all-ceramic coated granular spherical nuclear fuel elements
The uranium fuel is made into small particles, each coated with a layer of low-density carbon, two layers of high-density carbon and a layer of silicon carbide to form coated particles with a diameter of less than 1 mm. The coated particles are evenly dispersed in the graphite-moderated material and fabricated into spherical fuel elements with a diameter of 6 cm. In the event of a nuclear reaction or accident, the coating further supports inherent safety by allowing the radioactive material produced in the coated particles to remain within the particles.
High-temperature all-ceramic coated granular spherical nuclear fuel element
(4) The reactor realizes non-stop stacking and online refueling
During reactor operation, new fuel balls are filled from the top of the reactor and the balls fall into the core by gravity. The reactive fuel balls are then discharged from the bottom of the reactor. The entire loading and unloading process does not require a shutdown. This method greatly improves the operational efficiency and greatly reduces the difficulty of effectively controlling the nuclear fission reaction.
(iv) Progress in the construction of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors
◆ 10 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor
In 2003, the world's first 10 MW high-temperature gas-cooled experimental reactor was connected to the grid in Beijing, China.
In 2004, a 10 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor was presented for nuclear safety, which was watched live by more than 60 atomic energy experts from more than 30 countries. The demonstration showed that without inserting the control rods, the reactor cooling system was turned off, and there would be no serious accidents such as burning out of fuel elements. Experts in the international nuclear energy community agree that high-temperature gas-cooled reactors are the safest type of reactors.
A 10 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor in Beijing, China
◆ 200 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant
In 2021, the world's first 200 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant was connected to the grid in Shidao Bay, Shandong Province. This is the world's first grid-connected fourth-generation high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power project, marking that China has become the world's leader in nuclear power technology in this field.
Shandong Shidao Bay 200 MW high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant
◆600 MW commercial high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant
In the next five years, the mainland will build a 600-megawatt commercial high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant.
Model of a 600 MW commercial high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant
(5) Summary
The reasons for choosing small high-temperature gas-cooled salt for the five-star light power system of China's nuclear-powered strategic bomber are:
(1) It is recognized by experts in the international nuclear energy community as the safest reactor type.
(2) The high-temperature all-ceramic coated pellet spherical nuclear fuel element completely encapsulates the radioactive waste in the particles, which solves the most difficult problem of radioactive contamination.
(3) High-temperature gas-cooled reactors can add or unload nuclear fuel at any time without shutting down.
(4) The technology is very mature, and civil reactors have been connected to the grid for power generation.
On the basis of the new H-20 stealth strategic bomber, equipped with China's newly developed small high-temperature gas-cooled nuclear reactor, the five-star light nuclear-powered strategic long-range bomber is just around the corner.
A model of a five-star light nuclear-powered strategic long-range bomber