(Summary description)
In the construction of ships, nuclear power and military industries, there is an essential "small part" called a seal. Especially for large-scale nuclear power plants, it is a key component of nuclear safety equipment and an important guarantee to prevent leakage of radioactive materials. It is such a small seal that has been monopolized by an American company for more than half a century. In order to also have China's own seals, a team has been working hard. In the production workshop of a private enterprise in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, Chief Engineer Li Xinggen is staring at the four-meter-diameter metal ring that is about to roll off the assembly line. Although the metal ring looks ordinary, it is an essential C-shaped sealing ring for nuclear power plant reactors.

 

It was Li Xinggen who took this private enterprise with less than 100 employees to make China the second country in the world capable of producing C-shaped seal rings through painstaking research and development, and broke the half-century foreign monopoly. Inspiring him to shoulder this mission starts with a bidding competition between the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant and the United States ten years ago. In a bidding held in July 2007, although Ningbo Tiansheng Sealing Parts Co., Ltd. won the bid with a significant advantage of 20 points higher than that of the American company, the United States changed the winning result under the threat of not providing the "C-shaped sealing ring". At that time, no company in China was able to produce nuclear sealing rings. If the United States uses this as a threat to refuse to supply it, it will undoubtedly be a fatal blow to China's nuclear power plants.

 

In desperation, Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant had to decide to purchase gasket products from both Chinese and American companies. Hearing such news, Li Xinggen's heart was deeply stung, and he quickly responded. Li Xinggen, Senior Engineer of Ningbo Tiansheng Sealing Parts Co., Ltd.: I'm here to assure you that within five years, I will conquer this sealing ring. I said that I will conquer it if I am bankrupt. The pressure vessel in which nuclear fuel is placed in the nuclear reactor has a diameter of more than 4 meters. The vessel is divided into two parts: a cylinder and an end cover. The joint surface is sealed with two metal sealing rings. When the reactor is in working condition, the nuclear fuel inside the container generates high pressure and high temperature, and the joint surface of the container end cover and the barrel will have a tendency to separate. At this time, the metal sealing ring with memory function needs to rebound to compensate for the separation, thereby Realize the sealing function to prevent nuclear leakage.

 

The manufacturing process of the metal seal ring was kept secret by the Americans for half a century. The experience of being deeply stung has also become the driving force of Li Xinggen and his R&D team. They have to challenge the sealing ring technology that has been blocked for more than half a century from scratch. In the workshop upstairs, the four-meter diameter C-shaped sealing ring has just been produced. The workers are making the final proof of its shape. Li Xinggen said that when the first nuclear seal ring was born in a Chinese company, the entire domestic nuclear power plant industry was shaken. Li Xinggen: Because in foreign countries, the price will be increased by 15% every year. There is no room for negotiation with you. The time is up to them. He doesn't know when it will be given to you. He is very excited when he hears that there is production in our country. .

 

On December 3, 2015, as my country's first domestically-made metal C-shaped sealing ring was installed on the reactor pressure vessel of Fangjiashan Unit 1 of Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant. It entered refueling shutdown on September 18, 2016, and was inspected after service. Success or failure in one fell swoop. Witnessed by a group of experts from the National Energy Administration and China Nuclear Power Organization, the pressure vessel of the Fangjiashan unit reactor of the Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant was slowly opened. After a period of use of the domestic metal C-shaped sealing ring, there was no damage to the inner and outer rings. The sealing line is uniform and coherent without any wrinkles and bumps. Six hours later, the expert group announced that it complies with nuclear power plant safety standards. Li Xinggen finally breathed a sigh of relief. Li Xinggen: I have made two things in my entire life. One is pipe sealing and the other is pressure vessel sealing. I have spent more than 30 years.

 

It took more than 30 years for Lixinggen to win the second prize of National Science and Technology Progress Award for new sealing technology, new products and applications of nuclear power plants. This innovative achievement broke the foreign monopoly and reduced the price of similar products abroad by 70%. At present, 70% of the

• Time of issue:2018-08-08 09:03
• Views: