This year marks the 70th anniversary of the founding of China's nuclear industry. And one particular sector in the industry is the various applications developed to improve people's lives. In this episode of China's nuclear industry, CGTN's Zheng Yibing brings you closer to these applications.
There is more than meets the eye when it comes to nuclear technology.
ZHENG YIBING, CGTN Reporter "Besides offering fuels and energy, it has wide applications in our daily life, like medical diagnosis and treatment, agricultural breeding, food processing, material modification, and security check."
China's nuclear technology application industry began in the 1950s. Over the years, it has formed a complete industrial chain. An expert on nuclear medicine said that it contributes greatly not only to people's health and lives but to social development as well.
DU JIN, Chief scientist, China National Nuclear Corporation "I believe that nuclear technology application can promote other areas, such as industry and agriculture. It can upgrade them and empower them, and it can also produce certain benefits."
Take a recent application for example. It is Heqi-1, China's first nuclear-powered industrial steam supply project in eastern China's Jiangsu Province.
ZHENG YIBING, Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province "This is China's first nuclear-powered industrial steam supply project. Named as 'Heqi-1', it is located at the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant in eastern China's Jiangsu Province."
Its heat source is the steam generated from the turbine system of power units, which could be applied to produce industrial steam via a multi-layered isolation system.
ZHANG YI, Chairman, Jiangsu Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. "This is the very first application of such scale in the world. Unlike those before, the Heqi-1 can produce 600 tons of industrial steam in just one hour."
And the project is expected to deliver 4.8 million tons of zero-carbon steam annually. This is just one example. The county has set a goal to further develop it, and last year it rolled out a three-year plan to promote the nuclear technology application industry. It aims for an annual economic output of its nuclear technology application industry to reach 400 billion yuan, or about 56 billion US dollars, by 2026. Zheng Yibing, CGTN, Beijing.