Name: 為什麼人們希望到處都建小型核反應堆 (Why people want to put small nuclear reactors everywhere)
Uploaded: 2024-10-23T13:29:49.000Z
Duration: 13 min 5 s

基礎被動語態

This is supposed to be the next big hope for nuclear energy.

分詞構句

It promises to fix all the problems with traditional nuclear power, making it cheaper, faster, and easier to build.

它承諾解決傳統核電的所有問題，使其更便宜、更快速、更容易建造。

A game changer for nuclear going forward.

這將改變核電未來的遊戲規則。

It's called a small modular reactor, and over the past few decades, more than 80 start-ups and projects have been working on this futuristic vision.

在過去幾十年裡，有 80 多個新創公司和項目一直在研究這一未來願景。

But there's one big problem. So far, only one has actually been built.

但有一個大問題。到目前為止，真正建成的只有一座。

There are reasons why small modular reactors are not being built, even though many people are talking about them.

儘管很多人都在談論小型模塊化反應堆，但沒有建造這種反應堆是有原因的。

Nuclear power is in the spotlight again, as the world rushes to find clean energy alternatives.

在全球急於尋找清潔能源替代品之際，核能再次成為人們關注的焦點。

SMRs could be a really useful tool for doing things that big nuclear plants can't do yet.

SMR可能是一個非常有用的工具，可以做一些大型核電站還做不到的事情。

And they have a leg up from renewables because they could provide constant power everywhere.

與可再生能源相比，它們更勝一籌，因為它們可以在任何地方提供源源不斷的電力。

Western countries are really struggling to make this technology work.

西方國家確實在努力使這項技術發揮作用。

And developing countries like China, Russia, and India seem to be pulling ahead fast.

而中國、俄羅斯和印度等開發中國家似乎正在快速前進。

So, do SMRs deserve all this hype? And how can we actually make them happen?

那麼，SMR 值得如此大肆宣傳嗎？我們如何才能真正實現它們？

Nuclear power is a very divisive topic, with a lot of strong arguments for and against the technology.

核能是一個很有分歧的話題，支持和反對這項技術的觀點都很強烈。

It's a powerful low-carbon alternative to fossil fuels, and unlike renewables like solar and wind, which fluctuate based on the weather, nuclear has a consistent output.

核電是化石燃料的一種強有力的低碳替代能源，與太陽能和風能等可再生能源不同，它們會隨著天氣的變化而波動，而核電則有穩定的輸出。

The IEA, an international body that advises governments on the transition to clean energy, says nuclear has to more than double by 2050 if we want any chance at reaching net zero.

國際能源機構（IEA）是一個就向清潔能源過渡問題向各國政府提供建議的國際機構，該機構稱，如果我們想有任何機會實現淨零排放，那麼到 2050 年，核能必須增加一倍以上。

The problem with nuclear is that it's really big and expensive, takes too long to build, and could cause civilization-ending disaster.

核電的問題在於其體積龐大、造價高昂、建造時間過長，而且可能會造成毀滅人類文明的災難。

In the 70s and leading up to the 80s, there was high public support.

在 70 年代和 80 年代之前，公眾的支持率很高。

Dr. Kuhika Gupta researches public support for nuclear energy in the United States and India.

Kuhika Gupta 博士研究美國和印度公眾對核能的支持。

That momentum really crashed through the 80s and 90s with the Chernobyl Three Mile Island incidents that happened.

隨著切爾諾貝利三裡島事件的發生，這種勢頭在上世紀八九十年代徹底崩潰。

We made a video on the rise and fall of nuclear energy as a tool to fight climate change, which you can watch here.

我們製作了一段關於核能作為應對氣候變化工具的興衰的視頻，您可以在這裡觀看。

Nuclear energy really struggled to bounce back from those big disasters.

核能確實很難從那些大災難中反彈回來。

And when the Fukushima nuclear accident happened in 2011, the industry's credibility took another massive hit.

2011 年福島核事故發生後，該行業的信譽再次受到重創。

But things are starting to look up again.

Public support has maybe started trickling back to pre-Fukushima levels, and support is even higher for small modular or other type of advanced reactor technologies.

公眾的支持也許已經開始逐漸恢復到福島核事故之前的水準，而對小型模塊化反應堆或其他類型的先進反應堆技術的支持甚至更高。

That might be because a lot of these SMRs have some very flashy advertising.

這可能是因為這些 SMR 有很多非常華麗的廣告。

While there are lots of different SMRs being developed, there's currently four main types, each using a different coolant to manage the extreme heat of a nuclear fission reaction.

雖然正在開發的 SMR 種類繁多，但目前主要有四種類型，每種類型都使用不同的冷卻劑來控制核裂變反應的極端熱量。

They are light water, high temperature gas, liquid metal, and molten salt SMRs.

它們是輕水、高溫氣體、液態金屬和熔鹽 SMR。

The most common type, though, is light water reactors.

They're very similar to traditional nuclear power plants, which are almost all water-cooled.

它們與傳統的核電站非常相似，幾乎都是水冷式的。

That makes them much easier to design and get approved, as today's nuclear regulations are mostly based on water-cooled reactors.

這使得它們更容易設計和獲得準許，因為如今的核法規大多基於水冷反應堆。

For light water reactors, the idea is to take a big traditional nuclear power plant, shrink it down, and mass-produce it.

對於輕水反應堆，我們的想法是將大型傳統核電站縮小，然後大規模生產。

它的工作原理與客機非常相似。

Dr. Adam Stein is an engineer, researcher, and consultant who focuses on nuclear energy.

亞當-斯坦恩博士是一名工程師、研究員和顧問，主要研究核能。

Instead of how we've typically built most nuclear power plants in the past, which is completely from scratch, usually mostly at the power plant site.

而不是我們過去通常建造大多數核電站的方式，即完全從零開始，通常主要是在核電站現場建造。

If you think of a large jumbo jet, it's built in a factory, in a consistent manner, with the same parts every time, with rigorous quality control.

如果你想到一架大型噴氣式飛機，它是在工廠裡以一致的方式製造出來的，每次都使用相同的部件，並經過嚴格的品質控制。

Dr. Stein says making it in a factory means you can keep the same specialized workforce, the same supply chain, and the same standards, and just ship the already-made power plant to wherever it needs to go.

斯坦恩博士說，在工廠製造意味著可以保持同樣的專業勞動力、同樣的供應鏈和同樣的標準，只需將已製造好的發電廠運往需要的地方即可。

These small plants would have a much smaller output than a full-size nuclear reactor.

這些小型發電廠的輸出功率遠遠小於全尺寸核反應堆。

Most definitions of SMRs put them anywhere up to 300 megawatts, which means today's average full-size nuclear reactors output more than triple the biggest SMRs.

大多數對 SMR 的定義是 300 兆瓦以下，這意味著今天的平均全尺寸核反應堆輸出功率是最大 SMR 的三倍多。

But in exchange, they take up very little space.

但作為交換，它們佔用的空間很小。

Nuclear already uses the least amount of land amongst low-carbon energy sources by far, and SMRs could take that to the next level.

到目前為止，核能已經是低碳能源中使用土地最少的能源，而 SMR 可以將這一優勢提升到更高水平。

NuScale, one of the biggest SMR developers, claims that this power plant, the Voyager 12, would take up 0.13 square kilometers of land, output the equivalent of 18.6 square kilometers of solar panels.

最大的 SMR 開發商之一 NuScale 聲稱，這座名為 "旅行者 12 號 "的發電廠將佔用 0.13 平方公里的土地，產出相當於 18.6 平方公里的太陽能電池板。

So that could get nuclear power online in more places much faster.

是以，這可以讓更多地方的核電更快地投入使用。

But what about the risk of nuclear accidents?

Well, SMRs have an answer for that too, and it's called passive safety.

那麼，SMR 也有辦法解決這個問題，這就是所謂的被動安全。

In nearly all of today's nuclear power plants, the biggest safety task is keeping the core of the reactor cool enough if the plant suddenly shuts down and stops making power.

在當今幾乎所有的核電站中，最大的安全任務就是在核電站突然關閉並停止發電時，保持反應堆堆芯足夠冷卻。

If the coolant stops circulating for long enough, the fuel will get too hot and melt down.

如果冷卻液停止循環的時間足夠長，燃料就會因溫度過高而熔化。

That creates the risk of leaking radioactive material into the surrounding area if all the material doesn't stay contained in the core.

如果放射性物質沒有全部留在堆芯中，就有可能洩漏到周圍地區。

That's what happened at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011 after an earthquake triggered a safety shutdown.

這就是 2011 年地震引發安全關閉後福島第一核電站發生的情況。

The plant automatically switched to its backup generators to keep the coolant circulating through pumps.

電廠自動切換到備用發電機，以保持冷卻劑通過水泵循環。

But an hour later, a massive tsunami triggered by the earthquake wiped out the plant's backup systems, and three reactors melted down.

但一小時後，地震引發的大海嘯摧毀了核電站的備用系統，三個反應堆熔燬。

So to avoid this type of scenario, many newer generation power plants use passive and self-contained safety systems that don't rely on human operators or external power.

是以，為了避免出現這種情況，許多新一代發電廠都採用了不依賴人類操作員或外部電源的被動式自給自足安全系統。

This approach is seen as safer than previous models.

這種方法被認為比以前的模式更安全。

And many SMR safety designs claim to be completely passively cooled without the need for any external water either.

許多 SMR 安全設計聲稱完全採用被動冷卻方式，也不需要任何外部水。

To do that, they would use a natural force called convection, which is basically the same thing that happens in a kettle.

為此，他們將利用一種叫做對流的自然力，這與水壺中發生的情況基本相同。

When liquids and gases get hot, they rise to the top, and when they cool, they sink to the bottom, creating a loop.

當液體和氣體變熱時，它們會上升到頂部，冷卻後又會下沉到底部，形成一個循環。

To take advantage of convection, these SMRs have a series of chambers that can allow for passive circulation of water.

為了利用對流，這些 SMR 具有一系列可實現水被動循環的腔室。

The reactor core is placed inside a larger shell, which is submerged in water in a containment structure underground.

反應堆堆芯被放置在一個較大的殼體內，殼體浸沒在地下安全殼結構的水中。

In an emergency, the nuclear reaction which generates heat would shut down, and the reactor would close itself off, not letting anything in or out.

在緊急情況下，產生熱量的核反應會停止，反應堆會自行關閉，不讓任何東西進出。

So to get rid of the remaining heat inside the core, convection comes in.

是以，為了排出核心內的餘熱，對流就應運而生。

As the water inside the core heats up, it rises to the top, turns into steam, and gets pushed out into the larger shell, which is kept cool from the water it's submerged in.

當內核中的水受熱時，就會上升到頂部，變成蒸汽，然後被推出較大的外殼，外殼被浸沒在水中，保持冷卻。

That steam hits the larger shell, condenses back into water, and pools at the bottom, ready to flow back into the reactor and continue the cycle.

蒸汽進入更大的殼體，冷凝成水，彙集在底部，隨時準備流回反應堆，繼續循環。

In theory, that cycle can just keep going until the reactor cools down enough to no longer be a threat.

理論上，這種循環可以一直持續到反應堆冷卻到不再構成威脅為止。

But while there's a lot of hype around these innovative designs, the likelihood of SMRs ever actually working out depends a lot on how you look at them.

不過，雖然這些創新設計被炒得沸沸揚揚，但 SMR 真正成功的可能性在很大程度上取決於你如何看待它們。

Are they like any other type of energy source, standing on their own feet and making a profit in the free market?

它們是否與其他類型的能源一樣，能夠自力更生，在自由市場中獲利？

Or are they a strategic asset that governments can use to fill the gaps while they phase out of fossil fuels, even if they lose money building them?

或者說，它們是政府在逐步淘汰化石燃料時可以用來填補空白的戰略資產，即使建造它們會虧本？

Analysts say that first way is the approach in the US and EU, and so far, it hasn't worked out too well.

分析人士認為，美國和歐盟採用的是第一種方式，但迄今為止效果並不理想。

That's Dr. Friederike Fries, a physicist and nuclear energy researcher.

這就是弗裡德里克-弗里斯博士，一位物理學家和核能研究員。

She says that despite a surge of SMR startups and projects in the US and Europe over the past decade, small nuclear has run into the same problems as big nuclear, with heavy regulations, project delays and cost blowouts.

她說，儘管在過去十年中，美國和歐洲的 SMR 初創企業和項目激增，但小型核電也遇到了與大型核電同樣的問題，如嚴格的監管、項目延誤和成本爆炸。

And because it's smaller, it also makes less money.

由於規模較小，賺的錢也較少。

SMRs lose the economy of scale in energy production.

SMR 失去了能源生產的規模經濟性。

The smaller the output, the less revenue you can make.

So you have to have really tailored applications.

是以，你必須有真正量身定製的應用程序。

When you add to that rising inflation and the increasing costs of essential materials to make these plants, like steel, you get a recipe for financial meltdown.

如果再加上不斷上升的通脹和製造這些工廠的基本材料（如鋼鐵）成本的增加，就會導致金融崩潰。

That happened last November to NuScale, one of the first and most promising SMR startups and the only one with US regulatory approval.

這種情況去年 11 月發生在 NuScale 身上，它是最早、最有前途的 SMR 初創公司之一，也是唯一一家獲得美國監管部門準許的公司。

After decades of planning, the company cancelled its first ever deployment of reactors in Idaho.

經過數十年的規劃，該公司取消了在愛達荷州首次部署反應堆的計劃。

NuScale says the project, called the CFPP, faced unique challenges and ended due to a lack of subscriptions.

NuScale 稱，這個名為 CFPP 的項目面臨著獨特的挑戰，由於認購不足而終止。

But many analysts say increasing costs played a big part.

但許多分析家認為，成本增加是一個重要原因。

NuScale was supposed to be built in the United States, which has a long history in nuclear power plants.

NuScale 本應在美國建造，因為美國在核電站方面有著悠久的歷史。

It has the biggest civil nuclear fleet, and still it did not work out.

它擁有最大的民用核艦隊，但仍然沒有成功。

There was support from the government, support from the regulatory authority, and still it did not work out. It was just too expensive.

政府提供了支持，監管機構也提供了支持，但還是沒有成功。因為成本太高了。

The price tag was like, per kilowatt hour,

I think in the end about four times than what they usually have at conventional nuclear power plants right now.

我想，到頭來大約是現在常規核電站的四倍。

NuScale's president says the company is continuing with its other domestic and international customers to bring American SMRs to market, including a project to replace a decommissioned coal plant in Romania with a Voyager SMR plant.

NuScale 總裁表示，公司正繼續與其他國內和國際客戶合作，將美國的 SMR 推向市場，其中包括一個用 Voyager SMR 電站取代羅馬尼亞退役煤電廠的項目。

But NuScale is an example of how tough it is for private companies and startups in the West to get small modular reactors going.

但 NuScale 是一個例子，說明西方的私營公司和初創企業要啟動小型模塊化反應堆是多麼困難。

Looking at SMRs as a strategic national investment that might not necessarily make a lot of money.

將 SMR 看作是一項國家戰略投資，但不一定能賺很多錢。

That's the approach taken by countries like China and Russia, where SMR projects are almost entirely state-run, operated by national companies like China's CNNC and Russia's Rosatom.

這就是中國和俄羅斯等國採取的方法，在這些國家，SMR 項目幾乎完全由國家經營，由中國的中核集團和俄羅斯的俄羅斯原子能公司等國家公司營運。

In the past, countries that were able to build nuclear power successfully and have those be successful industrial investments were ones that were able to control their costs by avoiding unnecessary regulatory burdens and then also control revenue by allowing them to make sure they could compete effectively on the downstream, that they could sell into a market and be assured of a reasonable rate of return for selling power.

過去，能夠成功建設核電並使其成為成功的工業投資的國家，都能夠通過避免不必要的監管負擔來控制成本，然後通過確保它們能夠在下游進行有效競爭來控制收入，確保它們能夠向市場出售電力，並確保出售電力能夠獲得合理的回報率。

That's David Fishman, an economics and policy analyst who specialises in China's energy sector.

這就是大衛-菲什曼（David Fishman），一位專門研究中國能源行業的經濟與政策分析師。

Countries like China right now, they do a great job controlling costs upstream and they do an excellent job ensuring revenue for the power sales downstream.

像中國這樣的國家，他們在上游控制成本方面做得很好，在下游確保電力銷售收入方面也做得很好。

That's because even if you have a great design for an SMR, experts say quite a few different steps have to come together to make it all happen.

這是因為，即使你有了一個很好的 SMR 設計，專家們也會說，要實現這一切，還需要很多不同的步驟。

There's the materials needed to build the facility, which all have to be certified as nuclear safe.

還有建造設施所需的材料，這些材料都必須經過核安全認證。

Then there's the workforce to build the plant and the workforce to operate it.

然後是建設工廠的勞動力和營運工廠的勞動力。

Then there's getting the fuel needed to run the reactor.

然後是獲取反應堆運行所需的燃料。

So rather than all of these steps being done by different private companies who all need to make a profit, countries like China and Russia package up all of these steps and sell them as a bundle.

是以，中國和俄羅斯等國將所有這些步驟打包出售，而不是由需要盈利的不同私營公司完成。

It's not just the technology you're getting, it's also coming with the entire supply chain solution, it's coming with the low-interest loans that are provided by the exporting companies' banks, maybe the import-export bank of China is getting a big low-interest loan, something like that.

你得到的不僅僅是技術，還有整個供應鏈解決方案，還有出口公司銀行提供的低息貸款，也許中國進出口銀行就能得到一大筆低息貸款，諸如此類。