EPR核工程专业英语.docx

1、EPR核工程专业英语Source: The energy context Increasing energy requirements By 2050, the Earths population will have risen to between 8 and 10 billion, compared to todays figure of 6 billion, of whom almost one third are without electricity! Energy needs will increase considerably, since mankind will natura

2、lly aspire to improved living conditions and a more equitable sharingof the benefits of economic progress and . Nuclear energy should contribute greatly to meeting these requirements in a context of sustainable development. According to the OECDs International Energy Agency, the total consumption of

3、 primary energy (coal, oil, gas, nuclear power, hydro power and other forms of renewable energy), including that used to generate electricity, currently stands at around 9 billion of metric tons of oil equivalent, and is set to increase by 50% by 2030.The OECD has also released figures for the Europ

4、ean Union, indicating an expected annual increase in electricity consumption of 1.4% between 2000 and 2030, making allowance for energy saving initiatives. Given that a number of power plants will be reaching the end of their service life, 600 GWe of new plants would have to be built to increase out

5、put by 330 GWe over this period.On the basis of the projected annual increase in the demand for electricity in France published by the DGEMP*, consumption will increase by 140 TWh between 2002 and 2020; this increase means a need of an additional generation capacity of18 GWe usedwith a utilization r

6、ate of 90%. These requirements cannot be met only by extending the use of renewable energies.* DGEMP: General Directorate for Energy and Raw Materials of the Ministry for Industry, Economy and Finance, whose role is to prepare and implement Frances policy for energy and the supply of raw materials E

7、nergy sources that complement each other All energy sources have their uses; rather than being in competition, they complement each other, and all have their own particularities that make them useful in specific areas.Fossil fuels remain important for transportation, chemistry and heat generation on

8、 an industrial scale. They could be used more widely to generate electricity in countries where industrialization is in early development, before envisaging a switch to nuclear energy.The use of solar and wind energy is likely to become more widespread in sunny and windy areas with scattered populat

9、ions.These energy sources are completely dependent on weather conditions: for example, wind mills can only operate for 20 to 30% of the time.In our part of the world, they are more suitable for generating electricity that is required temporarily in addition to that generated continuously by nuclear

10、or hydroelectric plants.Fossil fuel supplies will not last forever - projected oil and gas supplies will be dwindling, after reaching a production peak in the middle of this century. And for all fossil fuels, especially coal, transportation from their points of extraction remains a challenging issue

11、.Using nuclear power to generate electricity means that fossil fuels can be reserved for areas in which they are indispensable. The nuclear industry is competitiveSeveral studies -published between 1997 and 2002(1)-, clearly illustrate that the nuclear MWh cost compares favorably with the cheapest f

12、orm of electricity generated using fossil fuels, i.e. in combined cycle gas plants.Discount rate of 5 to 10% for generation, and taken as zero for environmental impactsFurthermore, the nuclear MWh cost is only slightly affected by the price of natural Uranium:A 10% variation in Uranium price results

13、 in a variation of less than 0.5% in the MWh cost. In addition, Uranium price is particularly stable.Conversely, the cost of MWh generated using natural gas is closely linked to the price of fuel:A 10% variation in gas price results in a variation of more than 6% in the MWh cost, and the price of ga

14、s could increase considerably if the markets come under strain in the future.The competitiveness of nuclear power over other electricity sources will become increasingly apparent as the environmental impact of CO2 and Carbon emissions are gradually taken into account from an economic point of view,

15、as stipulated by the European directive regarding release permits, set to come into force in 2005in other words, very soon.(1) DGEMP and OECD studies, Messrs Galley and Bataille parliamentary report, report to the Prime Minister carried out by Messrs Charpin, Pellat and Dessus, Finnish study publish

16、ed by essrs Rissanen and Tarjanne.(2) ExternE is a study carried out by researchers from all the member states of the European Union and the United States, with the support of the EU Commission, to quantify the social and environmental costs of electricity generation. Advantages of the French nuclea

17、r programFrance is currently reaping the benefits of its nuclear programThanks to its nuclear energy program, France is presently able to meet on a self-sufficient basis 50% of its energy requirements compared to 20% thirty years ago.Thanks to its nuclear energy program, France is presently able to

18、meet on a self-sufficient basis 50% of its energy requirements compared to 20% thirty years ago.Maintaining this level of self-sufficiency means:being less vulnerable to erratic changes in fossil fuel prices resulting from political instability,minimizing the energy bill: only 0.9% of GNP in 1999 (b

19、efore the recent increase in oil prices) as opposed to 5% in the early eighties,guaranteeing the supply of electricity at low and stable production costs, keeping our industry more competitive.Furthermore, thanks to our comprehensive expertise in nuclear technology,our country ownsa highly-skilled w

20、orkforce and exports its products and know-how worldwide. Controlled release of greenhouse gasesControlled release of greenhouse gasesNuclear power plants do not produce any greenhouse gases, dust particles or chemical substances that pollute the atmosphere and so they rise to one of the major chall

21、enges of this century, namely protecting the environment.The challenge of environmental protection is enormous, given the orders of magnitude involved, with savings of hundreds of millions of metric tons of CO2 to be achieved for Europe alone. The figures below show the extent to which nuclear power

22、 plants can reduce greenhouse gas emissions.CO2emissions per inhabitant in 2002 (t/inhabitant)EDFs fleet of power plants, which is mainly constituted of nuclear and hydraulic units, releases, on average, eight times less CO2 per kWh generated than all the other plants in the rest of the European Uni

23、on, most of which burn fossil fuels*.The EPR: the advanced reactor The European pessurized water reactorThe EPR (European Pressurized water Reactor) is based on long proven pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology, as are all the reactors currently operated by EDF. It uses Uranium oxide fuel sligh

24、tly enriched in U235 up to 5%, or mixed Uranium and Plutonium oxide fuel (MOX). Its net electrical power is in the range of 1600 MWe.To find out more about how a PWR works: How a pressurized water reactor works?In a PWR, the pressurized water in the primary system is used as a moderator to slow down

25、 the neutrons, allowing a nuclear reaction to occur in the core, and to transfer the heat generated during the reaction to the steam generators.The EPR has four steam generators - one for each of the four heat removal loops composing the primary system. Steam generators are heat exchangers. On their

26、 primary side, they receive heat from the nuclear reactor, and on their secondary side, they deliver heat to the non nuclear part of the facility (there is a leak-tight separation between the primary and secondary sides of the steam generators). That secondary heat produces steam to power the turbin

27、e generator which in turn generates electricity.It has the following advantages over its predecessors:its performance level have been greatly improved, resulting in increased competitiveness,it includes a considerable number of advanced technological features that make it extremely safe,operation an

28、d maintenance are simplified,it provides solutions to sustainable development issues, notably by generating less waste and effluents.The main characteristics of theEPR :* Average burn up of the fuel reloads The EPR, a pressing decisionCommissioning of new plants designed to replace the retiring plan

29、ts will have to begin around 2020 in France. The oldest plants currently in operation will be reaching the end of their service life around this time.Given the strategic importance of replacement, the decision to start building a new series of plants, which will have to be taken in 2015, will requir

30、e the backing of at least three years operating feedback from a reference plant: a Pilot.That pilot will therefore have to be commissioned in 2011.Given the time required to complete layout studies, construction and testing, 2011 is just around the corner!Nuclear energy guarantees security of supply

31、 and stable costs and has a rightful place in the energy mix of the 21st century, where sustainable development is a major issue.The EPR is the European solution: it is safe, reliable, competitive and environmentally-friendly, meets the requirements of the Safety Authorities and lives up to the expe

32、ctations of electrical utilities.The EPR is ready to be built.Building a pilot in the near future would mean:enabling Franceand the rest of Europe to continue controlling their energy options;increasing the safety and competitiveness of existing plants, and being ready to replace them when the time comes;confirming and strengthening our industrys position as an international leader, and perpetuatin