Industry news
New energy technology: "surging" UHV to create new kinetic energy
2017-11-28

Source: Energy Magazine


In the nineteen major report of the party, the general secretary of Xi Jinping mentioned "the new era" 36 times. "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" has entered a new era, and has become the deepest and most highly highly expressed in the present stage of China.


"New" means new opportunities and new leaps, which also means new situations and new challenges.


In the long run of human civilization, I am afraid there is nothing more new than new technologies and inventions. They represent the forefront of human intelligence and provide the most fundamental driving force for social progress.


But technology has always been a double-edged sword. Especially in today's more open concepts and knowledge, technology's "new" is more and more intertwined with the "new" of society. Technology is not only the work of research and application, but also more and more participation in the evolution of social consciousness.


Technology brings changes in the field of energy. At the same time, it also brings friendly confrontation with society. While creating the value of science and economy, it also creates social and cultural value and becomes the "new kinetic energy" of the whole social progress.


"Surging" UHV


In September 1, 2017, a month before the opening of the nineteen, in witness of President Xi Jinping and President Temel of Brazil, Brazil mineral and energy minister Fernando to the chairman China national Power Grid Corp Shu Yinbiao officially issued the Brazil sent a beautiful mountain hydropower UHV DC transmission project phase two construction permits. This is a key project in Brazil's infrastructure, the period two by the national Power Grid Corp bid and investment, construction and operation, after the completion of the transfer of northern Brazil abundant clean energy power for large capacity long distance to the southeast of the load center, to better promote economic and social development in Brazil.


The beautiful mountain is located in the hinterland of the Amazon River, where there are many primitive Indian tribes living with fishing, and the environmental and cultural factors are very complex. But the national Power Grid Corp has won the recognition of the local society by virtue of its responsible environmental protection means, a large number of jobs and amazing construction efficiency.


Unlike the Brazil Indians, the Chinese people, to the electricity, can be said to be familiar to the extent of being ignored. More and more electricity use: Cooking from gas to electric stove, heating from coal to burning electricity, travel from fuel vehicles into electric cars.


But in a lot of people's understanding, electricity, and electrical age, it is still a symbol of Western civilization. Where electricity comes from, many people are not very clear, for the impression of power generation, still stay in a smoky power plant; transmission is nothing more than a pole connection.


However, in the field of transmission, China is creating the world's most leading technology. Lu Qiang, a member of the academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has said that in our country, the level of independent research and innovation is true, and it can be called a great project, but not much. And ultra high pressure, is a real, great independent innovation project.


Behind the great innovation, it is often a tortuous, even repeated discussion and argument. In the early days, the question of the development of UHV was mainly focused on the economy and maturity. But at present, our achievements in the field of UHV have not only boosted our confidence, but also constantly refreshed our understanding of the times.


In UHV AC transmission as an example, China has overcome the complete stability control of a number of technical difficulties, successfully solved the construction of UHV power grid safety and stability, power flow distribution and electromagnetic transient problems, is the first successful design and operation of 1 million kV voltage level of UHV AC power transmission project of the country.


From the perspective of the times, the energy structure of our country has been significantly optimized since the eighteen Party's largest scale. By the end of 2016, the utilization of non fossil energy accounts for 13.3% of the total primary energy consumption. Hydropower, wind power and photovoltaic power all lead the world. It is an important task for UHV power grid to transfer these distributed, and many remote clean energy sources to the Eastern energy consumption center.


In addition to the interconnection of new and old energy, UHV is also undertaking the interconnection of global energy, connecting and connecting all continents across the time and across the continents, so as to realize the dispatch and utilization of clean energy worldwide. Globalization, the transformation of energy structure, and the interconnection of all things based on intelligence are the background of the birth of UHV technology in China, and the era of their services.


Flammable ice

Relative electricity is everywhere, and flammable ice is more like a legend.


In 2013, it was the first time that Japan announced the extraction of methane gas from the flammable ice layer of the sea bottom, which became the great weight of the energy importer. "Flammable ice will make Japan a new energy powerhouse" and "China's research on flammable ice has lagged behind Japan for over ten years" and so on. It has been seen that people will feel a little bit frustrated when they cheer for new energy.


But later facts proved that Japan's trial production was not successful because of the problem of mud blocking the drilling channel, so it was forced to stop.


It's time to 2017. In May 10th, China gas hydrate production engineering for the first time test gas ignition, and in the end of July 9th production and shut in continuous production for 60 days, the cumulative gas production more than 300 thousand cubic meters, creating a world record length and the total gas production time. Offshore drilling platform "test using a blue whale", by the Shandong Yantai CIMC Raffles Design and construction of independent enterprises, is currently the world's most advanced Shuangjing semi submersible drilling platform.


But people have not forgotten the setbacks that Japan has encountered. Is combustible ice really feasible? At the same time, the environmental problems that may be caused by the exploitation of flammable ice have also caused some people's panic. "The exploitation of combustible ice will lead to the collapse of the seabed and the acidification of the sea". "The large-scale commercial use is an astronomical night", and "combustible ice is only a concept hype".


Question is derived from distrust, and it is derived from ignorance. For example, many people do not understand what the "continuous" two words mean for the exploitation of flammable ice.


To achieve stable production and achieve commercial value of flammable ice, it is necessary to separate solid, combustible ice from deep sea bed to achieve separation of water, sediment and methane, which is a worldwide problem of flammable ice mining.


In our country the traditional heating method and depressurization out of a new road, take the blood pressure, to concern the fluid extraction, after reducing the original stable pressure, reduce the submarine combustible ice reservoir forming conditions, and then dispersed in the sponge like voids in the combustible ice accumulation, eventually to achieve the separation of water, mud and sand, realize, reservoir transformation, drilling and completion, a number of breakthroughs in investigation and testing etc..


But proving that "technically feasible" is only the first step. Do you want to use it?  How do you use it? How do you control the rhythm? Is the holding of new technology to exploit development, or for fear of risk, fear of being stigmatized and careful, too? Like UHV, flammable ice is also faced with some ethical questions.


It is precisely in the pursuit of reason, science and justice. In the production of combustible ice, China has maintained a high degree of attention to environmental problems, in the first six years of trial mining, successively in Shenhu hydrate zone organized 10 field surveys, systematic investigation of geology, marine biology, marine environment, sea surface atmospheric methane and other characteristics of this area, the geological the disaster of submarine landslide monitoring system, to ensure the safety and controllability of the mining process and environmental protection.


In the future, if the flammable ice can be developed and used in a large scale, it will bring great improvement to the coal dependent energy structure in China. From the perspective of the public, the emergence of controllable and widely used alternative energy is important for everyone to enjoy sustainable energy and ensure social equity.


New nuclear power

In December 2015, the Sino African equipment manufacturing exhibition, CO sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce of China and the Ministry of trade and industry of South Africa, was carried out in Johannesburg. Before the first 3D model in Hualong, President Xi Jinping introduced to South African President Zuma, "this is our own technology. We need to push it to Africa and the world".


Hualong No. 1 is the third generation of nuclear power generation technology with complete independent intellectual property rights in China. The word "complete and independent intellectual property" has a few words. In the 80s of last century, with the help of France and Britain, China built the first million kilowatt class large commercial nuclear power plant, the Dayawan nuclear power plant. At that time, from cement to telephone line, it needed to import from abroad, and the localization rate was only 1%. While a number of Hualong equipment localization rate reached more than 85%, more than 60000 sets of equipment, production facilities and assembly, involving Shanghai, Sichuan and other 28 provinces, more than 5300 enterprises.


But the relative technology on the global nuclear power faces stride forward singing militant songs, is a controversial, and relatively low water environment. In 2011, after the Japanese Fukushima nuclear accident, countries generally slowed down the speed of nuclear power construction. In 2015, the global nuclear industry status report showed that the number of nuclear power plants in the world dropped from 15 in 2010 to 3 in 2014, and the proportion of global nuclear power to total electricity generation was 3 less than 11%.


At home, the question of nuclear power has not been stopped. In recent years, entitled "for" excess "inland nuclear power nuclear power" "anti nuclear declaration" article Lvjian newspapers, part of the public fear of nuclear emotions will grow again.


But for the safety of nuclear power, there has never been a slightest lax between the leaders of the state and the design builders.


In 2014, President Xi Jinping at the Hague international nuclear security summit for the first time introduced Chinese nuclear security concept: "Holland philosopher Erasmus said that prevention is better than cure. In recent years, the major nuclear accidents in the world have rounded the alarm for all countries, and we must do everything possible to prevent historical tragedies from reacting. In 2016, the new white paper on China's nuclear emergency response, issued by the state new office, also mentioned that "nuclear accidents have no national boundaries, and nuclear emergency management has no small matter".


The new technology, which evokes human fear, is often an updated technology, which is an excellent example of Hualong. Unlike previous nuclear power technologies, Hualong No. 1 designed a dynamic and passive safety system based on the earth's gravity and natural circulation. It can still provide protective measures for nuclear power plants without external power. It also uses a double layer safety shell structure, not only can resist 9 magnitude earthquake, prevent large tsunami, but also resist the malicious impact of commercial large aircraft.


From the point of view of nuclear power itself, as a relatively mature technology, it is still an important choice to replace fossil energy generation in the short term. Fan Mingwu China Academy of engineering has pointed out that the use of fossil fuels to the time needed to use all available water, solar energy, fuel cell, geothermal, and to ensure that the life better alive on earth and a population of 10 billion to 7 billion, the atomic energy or the most likely solution to the problem of."


While the power capacity is Hualong one of the most impressive place: if the operation in accordance with the maximum power, a nuclear power generating units per hour generating 1 million 150 thousand degrees, equivalent to 100 ordinary families a year and a half of the electricity consumption of a medium-sized city, meet the demand for electricity in a year capacity. In view of environmental benefits, it can reduce the consumption of standard coal by 5 million 300 thousand tons, reduce carbon dioxide emission by 13 million tons, reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide about 210 thousand tons.


Just as there is no absolute security, the controversy over new technologies will not completely disappear, and a systematic social solution is needed to optimize its application. But the development of new nuclear power, what we see, is an inclusive spirit that concerns public reaction, accommodating disputes, and allowing anxiety.


In the book "technology and civilization", American social philosopher Mumford once said that the organic balance of technology provides the final outlet for the three social elements: social intelligence, social energy and social goodwill. "Good faith" two words, especially thought-provoking.


At the moment, a number of world-class breakthroughs in China's energy field are behind a system and society full of good faith in the new technology.


On the other hand, it is also true that good treatment of new technology is a good treatment to our future.