The New Age of Nuclear Power

The New Age of Nuclear Power

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Power up!

 

INET’s power facility design can do the two things that matter most amid China’s explosive growth: Get where they’re needed and get big, fast. Developers aim to have a full-scale 200-megawatt version of HTR-10 by the end of the decade. They’ve already persuaded Huaneng Power International, one of China’s five big privatized utilities, to pick up half of the estimated $300 million startup cost. Construction of the production plant is scheduled to begin in spring 2007.

 

Hydrogen hope

 

Coming to terms with nuclear energy is only a first step for China. To power a billion cars, something besides fossil fuels is needed: Hydrogen is the most practical alternative. But it will take huge quantities of energy to extract hydrogen from water and hydrocarbons¹, and the best ways scientists have found to do that require high temperatures, up to 1,000 degrees Celsius². In other words, there’s another way of looking at INET’s high-temperature reactor³ and its potential offspring: They’re hydrogen machines.

 

For exactly that reason, Tsinghua’s researchers are starting their own high-temperature reactor design project. They are focused on what many believe is the most promising⁴ means of generating hydrogen: thermochemical water splitting. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories believe efficiency could top 60 percent—twice that of low-temperature methods. INET plans to begin researching hydrogen production by 2006. In that way, China’s nuclear renaissance⁵ could feed the hydrogen revolution, enabling the country to leapfrog the fossil-fueled West into a new age of clean energy.

 

Why incur⁶ costly⁷ international antipollution protocols⁹ when you can have motor vehicles that spout¹⁰ only water vapor¹¹ from their tail pipes? Why debate inferior alternatives when you have the political and economic muscle to engineer the dream?

 

The scale is vast, but so are China’s ambitions.

Vocabulary Focus

come to terms with (idiom) to gradually accept a situation or become used to something

offspring (n) [5RfspriN] something that comes into existence as a result or consequence of something else

leapfrog (v) [5li:p7frC^] to improve one’s position by moving quickly past or over something blocking one’s way or by bypassing some stages

protocol⁸ (n) [5prEutEkCl] a code of correct conduct or appropriate behavior for a group, organization or profession

 

Specialized¹² Terms

water splitting (n) 水解法 the conversion¹³ of water into oxygen and hydrogen by a series of chemical reactions

核能发电新时代

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启动核能发电

核能与新能源技术研究院的发电设备设计可在中国爆炸性的成长过程中，达成两项最重要的目标：迅速载运至所需地点及快速扩充。研发人员计划于2010年时建置一套完整的 HTR-10 设备，可发200兆瓦的电。该院已经说服中国5大私营电力公司之一的华能国际电力，承担预估达3亿美元的启动成本的半数。这家发电厂预计于2007年春季开始施工。

 

寄希望于氢

逐渐接受核能发电仅是中国的第一步而已。若要驱动10亿辆汽车，单是化石燃料并不够：氢气是最实用的替代品。但是从水及碳氢化合物提取氢气需要巨大能量，而科学家研究出的最佳方式，便是在摄氏1000度的高温下进行。换句话说，从另一个角度看，核能与新能源技术研究院的高温反应堆及其潜在产物同时也是氢气设备。

清华大学研究员因此开始进行自己的高温反应堆设计工程，专注于多数人认为最有前景的氢气生产方式：利用热化法从水中提取氢气。美国桑迪亚国家实验室研究人员认为这一方式的效率可高达60%，即一般低温方式的2倍。核能与新能源技术研究院计划于2006年前开始研究生产氢气的方法。如此一来，中国的核能复兴也可带动氢气革命，让中国迎头赶上使用化石燃料的西方国家，迈入无污染能源的新时代。

若能拥有只从排气管排放水蒸气的汽车，又何必违反国际反污染协议而支付高额罚款？若能拥有足够的政治及经济实力来达成梦想，又何必讨论较次级的替代方案？

工程规模确实庞大，但中国也是雄心万丈。

1 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句

2 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

3 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

4 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

5 renaissance   

n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴

参考例句：

• The Renaissance was an epoch of unparalleled cultural achievement.文艺复兴是一个文化上取得空前成就的时代。
• The theme of the conference is renaissance Europe.大会的主题是文艺复兴时期的欧洲。

6 incur   

vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇

参考例句：

• Any costs that you incur will be reimbursed in full.你的所有花费都将全额付还。
• An enterprise has to incur certain costs and expenses in order to stay in business.一个企业为了维持营业,就不得不承担一定的费用和开支。

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

9 protocols   

n.礼仪( protocol的名词复数 )；（外交条约的）草案；（数据传递的）协议；科学实验报告（或计划）

参考例句：

• There are also protocols on the testing of nuclear weapons. 也有关于核武器试验的协议。 来自辞典例句
• Hardware components and software design of network transport protocols are separately introduced. 介绍系统硬件组成及网络传输协议的软件设计。 来自互联网

10 spout   

v.喷出，涌出；滔滔不绝地讲；n.喷管；水柱

参考例句：

• Implication in folk wealth creativity and undertaking vigor spout.蕴藏于民间的财富创造力和创业活力喷涌而出。
• This acts as a spout to drain off water during a rainstorm.在暴风雨季，这东西被用作喷管来排水。

11 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

12 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

13 conversion   

n.转化，转换，转变

参考例句：

• He underwent quite a conversion.他彻底变了。
• Waste conversion is a part of the production process.废物处理是生产过程的一个组成部分。