The 'hot' tests of Linglong One—the SMR that was mentioned as an option for Serbia—have begun.

At the construction site of the demonstration small modular reactor (SMR) ACP100 – better known previously by the commercial name “Linglong One” – within the Changjiang nuclear complex on the Chinese island of Hainan, 'hot' functional tests have begun, according to China News Service and reported by WNN

This phase of testing includes raising the temperature and pressure in the primary cooling circuit to levels that simulate real operating conditions before the insertion of nuclear fuel. The aim is to verify leak-tightness, thermal stability, and the operational compliance of safety systems and equipment in both the nuclear and the conventional parts of the power plant. The successful completion of these functional tests opens the way for loading the reactor core with fuel by the end of this year.

Construction of the ACP100 reactor, with a power of 125 megawatts, officially began in July 2021 with the pouring of the first concrete under the auspices of CNNC (China National Nuclear Corporation). It is an integrated pressurized water reactor (PWR) whose preliminary design was completed in 2014, and by 2016 it had become one of the first small modular reactors to have successfully passed the IAEA safety review. In addition to electricity generation, the reactor is also designed for district heating, industrial steam production, and seawater desalination.

Commercial pioneer and the link to Serbia

In the global race to develop new nuclear technologies, Linglong One represents an exception – one of only a few SMR designs in the world that has gone from paper to concrete physical realization and whose commercial launch is expected in the near term. Other designs, as a reminder, are generally at various stages of design – which is one of the reasons why we also have some reservations about the trend of small modular reactors.

This Chinese model was also mentioned in domestic media as one of the potential technological options for Serbia. As a reminder, Nuclear Perspective has in earlier analyses thoroughly addressed the technical specifics and the modular concept of ACP100.

S.A.