On the 1st, it was learned from the School of Mechanical Engineering and Automation at Fuzhou University that the "Hualong One" steam generator support metal buffer, jointly developed by the university's Institute of Metal Rubber and Vibration Noise, China Zhongyuan Engineering Corporation, and the Nuclear Power Institute of China, has successfully passed appraisal by industry authoritative experts. This achievement breaks the long-term foreign monopoly on steam generator support buffers and fills a domestic gap in China.
The steam generator support buffer is a core safety component of the "Hualong One" nuclear island, made of 304 stainless steel. It is only the size of an eraser but can withstand the weight of 10 elephants (approximately 45 tons). This component must absorb energy through large deformation under extreme conditions such as earthquakes and pipe ruptures, while enduring harsh environments including high temperatures of 190°C and boric acid corrosion. The technical threshold is extremely high, and it had previously relied entirely on imports.
"The research team at Fuzhou University, in collaboration with partner organizations, innovatively proposed a spiral winding forming process, overcoming key technical challenges such as nonlinear stiffness control, high-temperature and high-load stability, and long-life high resilience," said a relevant official from the Institute of Metal Rubber and Vibration Noise at Fuzhou University. According to tests by third-party authoritative institutions, all performance indicators are superior to those of comparable imported products. The review experts unanimously agreed that this achievement fills a domestic gap in China, breaks foreign technological monopoly, and the overall technology has reached an internationally advanced level, enabling full domestic production.
The successful appraisal of this achievement marks that China's key nuclear power buffer components have achieved independent controllability, which is of great significance for ensuring the safe and stable operation of nuclear power and improving the localization rate of third-generation nuclear power equipment. It is understood that the Institute of Metal Rubber and Vibration Noise at Fuzhou University has long been dedicated to research on metal rubber materials and structures. After more than 20 years of scientific research and engineering validation, it has accumulated deep expertise in vibration reduction and impact resistance under special operating conditions. Related achievements have been widely applied in aerospace, aviation, maritime, and nuclear power fields, and have won multiple provincial and ministerial science and technology awards.