Cooperation in MNSR Fuel Conversion
The Conversion of Miniature Neutron Source Reactors (MNSR) from high-enriched uranium (HEU) to low-enriched uranium (LEU) is one of the important steps taken by the international community to improve nuclear security and prevent nuclear proliferation. At the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C. in 2016, President Xi Jinping committed China to assisting relevant countries in the conversion of Chinese-supplied MNSRs under the Ghana model on a voluntary basis.
The Chinese-designed MNSR, which is relatively small, easy to operate and inherently safe, can be used for neutron activation analysis, nuclear probe testing, small amount of isotope production, teaching and training. The conversion of Ghana's MNSR to low-enriched uranium started in 2014 by China, the United States, the Russian Federation and other countries in cooperation with the IAEA, with the Chinese team playing a leading role in some important tasks such as LEU fuel design and manufacturing, zero power experiments, and loading and commissioning. Following the completion of the Ghana's MNSR conversion in August 2017, the fuel conversion project for the MNSR in Nigeria was launched in September 2017 based on the Ghana Model, and completed in December 2018.
The MNSR conversion projects have highlighted China's contributions to global nuclear security and non-proliferation, and China's commitment to shouldering the responsibilities of a major country in supporting African countries' peaceful uses of nuclear technology.
微堆低濃化改造
研究堆低濃化改造、減少高濃鈾使用是國(guó)際社會(huì)加強(qiáng)核安保、防止核擴(kuò)散的重要措施之一。在2016年華盛頓核安全峰會(huì)上，習(xí)近平鄭重宣布愿在“加納模式”基礎(chǔ)上，本著自愿務(wù)實(shí)的原則，協(xié)助有關(guān)國(guó)家改造從中國(guó)進(jìn)口的高濃鈾微堆。
微堆是中國(guó)自主研發(fā)的研究堆，具有小型化、易操作、固有安全性好等特點(diǎn)，可用于中子活化分析、核儀器探頭考驗(yàn)、少量同位素生產(chǎn)及教學(xué)培訓(xùn)等。2014年起，中國(guó)、美國(guó)、俄羅斯等與囯際原子能機(jī)構(gòu)合作，開始對(duì)加納高濃鈾微堆實(shí)施低濃化改造。中方項(xiàng)目團(tuán)隊(duì)全面主導(dǎo)參與了低濃鈾燃料設(shè)計(jì)加工、零功率實(shí)驗(yàn)、裝料調(diào)試等重要任務(wù)。2017年8月，加納微堆低濃化改造圓滿完成，在“加納模式”基礎(chǔ)上，2017年9月，各方啟動(dòng)了尼日利亞堆低濃化改造項(xiàng)目，于2018年12月圓滿完成。
微堆低濃化改造項(xiàng)目展示了中國(guó)對(duì)全球核安保與防擴(kuò)散事業(yè)的積極貢獻(xiàn)，也彰顯了中囯支持非洲國(guó)家和平利用核技術(shù)的負(fù)責(zé)任大國(guó)形象。
