The reactor pressure vessel for the fifth unit of the Fuqing nuclear power plant has completed hydraulic pressure tests and is expected to start operation in 2019.

The unit, which is the first of the two demonstrations Hualong One units being constructed in China's Fujian province, completed the test on April 8. The tests were used to confirm the integrity of the vessel's welds and seals, according to the World Nuclear News.

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"The hydraulic pressure test is a comprehensive inspection of the quality of the pressure vessel design, manufacture, and assembly. By monitoring the temperature, pressure, strain, and other parameters of the pressure platform and combined with visual inspections, the sealing performance of the equipment pressure safety can be verified," the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) said.

The CNNC has announced last 2014 that the fifth and sixth units at Fuqing will utilize the Hualong One pressurized water reactor design. It initially planned to use the ACP1000 design, but plans were hampered as China realigns its nuclear industry.

Official construction of the Fuqing 5 started in May 2015, while construction for the Fuqing 6 began in December 2015. Both units are expected to be completed in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Meanwhile, construction of the two Hualong One units is also in the pipeline at China General Nuclear's Fangchenggang plant in Guangxi province. Both units are also expected to start up in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

The test was witnessed by several Chinese officials from the National Nuclear Safety Administration, the CNNC, the China Nuclear Power Engineering Company, the Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute, the China First Heavy Machinery, to name a few.

TagsHualong One Nuclear Plant, reactor vessel, hydraulic test, Fuqing nuclear plant