Wang Dazhong Tsinghua University Photo provided by
Wang Dazhong (middle) Work photo provided by tsinghua University
Wang Dazhong, born in 1935 in Changli County, Hebei Province. Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences , an internationally renowned nuclear energy scientist and educator. He has served as director and director of the Research Office of the Institute of Nuclear Energy of Tsinghua University, dean and chief engineer of the Institute of Nuclear Research, and president of Tsinghua University. He presided over the research, design, construction and operation of the world's first 5-megawa shell integrated low-temperature nuclear heating reactor; he presided over the research and development and construction of the world's first 10-megawatt modular ball bed high-temperature gas-cooled experimental reactor with inherent safety characteristics, and actively promoted the application of the above two advanced reactor technologies, and embarked on the road of success in my country's advanced nuclear energy technology with inherent safety as its main feature from following and running to leading the world.
"Scientific research is a noble cause that is worth pursuing and striving for a lifetime. But scientific research is like climbing a mountain, and the process is often full of difficulties, setbacks and risks. I personally understand that overcoming this difficulty requires understanding, courage and resilience."
has a clear face and a strong spirit. This is the first impression given by the 86-year-old Academician Wang Dazhong. Regarding the "heavy honor" of , the highest national science and technology award in , Wang Dazhong said in a humble manner: "It belongs to the collective, to the Tsinghua University nuclear energy team that advances in difficulties and unites, and also to all scientific and technological workers who are patriotic and dedicated and work hard."
In his heart, scientific and technological innovation is our main patriotic way. He believes that as long as each of us has firm confidence and bravely move forward, our country will have an infinitely bright future.
This love for the motherland made Wang Dazhong absolutely unwilling to see nuclear accidents that have occurred in other countries in his own motherland. To this end, he chose the extremely difficult advanced nuclear energy utilization technology route, "inherent safety". From key technology research to experimental reactors, to demonstration project construction, Wang Dazhong led the team to solve world problems, allowing China to master advanced nuclear energy technologies that would not occur such as nuclear accidents such as Three Mile Island in the United States and Fukushima in Japan, and embarked on the road of independent innovation from zero to leading the world, achieving the leapfrog development of my country's advanced nuclear energy technology.
"His vision makes people feel a little magical"
"His vision makes people feel a little magical." Speaking of mentor Wang Dazhong, Zhang Zuoyi, dean of the Tsinghua University Nuclear Research Institute , said.
When the country needs nuclear energy, Wang Dazhong resolutely chose the nuclear reactor major; when nuclear energy development fell into a trough, he insisted on his original intention and never gave up; after visionary determination of the academic goal of "inherent safety", he persisted and determined the correct technical route for my country's safe nuclear power when the world's nuclear energy fell into a trough several times, and finally achieved "inherent safety" for the first time in the world.
Zhang Zuoyi introduced that "inherent safety" was proposed by the famous American nuclear scientist Taylor - to make the public accept nuclear energy, reactor safety must be "inherent", that is, "the core meltdown will not occur under any circumstances", and there will be no nuclear accidents like Three Mile Island and Chernobyl . Scientists from various countries have published a large number of articles on this, but it is easy to talk about it on paper, but it is difficult to be real.
The Soviet Chernobyl nuclear power accident in the 1980s put the development of nuclear energy into a low point. From the perspective of my country's long-term energy strategy, Wang Dazhong adheres to the concept of inherent safety of nuclear reactors, and carries out the research and development of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors and the construction of experimental and demonstration projects. He made three major strategic choices with vision: one is the modular ball bed high-temperature gas-cooled stack type; the second is the development route from small-scale experimental stack to full-size industrial demonstration power stations; and the third is to adhere to the principle of independent innovation in core key technologies. From then on, my country's high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology development route for the next 30 years was clarified.
At the beginning of reform and opening up, Wang Dazhong had no intention of retreating in the face of Germany, the United States and Japan leading the field of high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, and my country's foundation is thin, investment is small, and lacks a huge gap in talents and experience. In 2000, Wang Dazhong presided over the construction of a 10-megawatt high-temperature gas-cooled experimental reactor, which is the world's first modular ball bed high-temperature gas-cooled experimental reactor.In September 2004, the International Atomic Energy Agency organized more than 60 scientists from 24 countries to witness the safety experiment of "losing the cooling of the reactor under the without inserting the control rod". In July 2005, on a 10-megawatt high-temperature reactor, the experiment that Taylor envisioned in 1956 was successfully completed, which was to extract all control rods and superimpose them without emergency shutdown. This is the only such safety verification experiment in the world to date conducted on actual reactors, which successfully verified the inherent safety of high-temperature reactor .
In 2004, the US magazine Wired called it a "reactor that will not melt down", reaching the highest level of nuclear energy safety in the world today. After the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan in 2011, the 10-megawatt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor was rated as a revolutionary reactor by the New York Times . Even under disaster conditions like the Fukushima , the reactor is safe and will not have catastrophic consequences.
"Jump up and pick fruits"
Wang Dazhong often uses the metaphor of "Jump up and pick fruits" to lead everyone to insist on independent innovation - scientific research is like picking fruits. If the goal is within reach, fruits will be picked long ago; if the vision is too high, it will not be able to reach many times, and it will only be a waste of effort. "Jump up and pick it" is the moderate high standard.
On the road to achieving the inherent safety reactor, Wang Dazhong led his R&D team to embark on the innovative path of China's independent research and development and construction of advanced nuclear energy systems with the spirit of "drawing a blueprint to the end and working hard to the end". After the completion of the
10 megawatt high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, Wang Dazhong has promoted the construction of a single module reactor power amplification by 25 times and the world's first industrial-scale modular high-temperature gas-cooled reactor nuclear power plant. The scale of its project is equivalent to that of my country's first Qinshan 300,000 kilowatt nuclear power unit. The research and development and construction of the demonstration project of
has enabled my country to master the commercial modular ball bed high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology, forming a complete design technology and design capabilities of Chinese brand high-temperature gas-cooled reactor models.
Under the leadership of Wang Dazhong, my country has overcome world problems such as batch preparation of all-ceramic high-performance spherical fuel components, built the world's only industrial-scale spherical fuel component production line, and completed the production of 700,000 fuel balls in the first furnace core of the demonstration power station.
Former President of the American Nuclear Society and Professor Kadak from MIT MIT said: "China is undoubtedly the world's leader in high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, and for a long time to come, China will continue to lead the world."
Correspondingly, after the Three Mile Island accident, the United States and other Western countries have not built an innovative industrial reactor because they cannot cross the huge threshold for technical, engineering and nuclear safety review. Under the leadership of Wang Dazhong, the Chinese finally reached the forefront of the world in this field.
"Big Team" to solve the problem "Kangdui Education"
"Always feel particularly warm and cared for." In Wang Yi's eyes, his father Wang Dazhong is a good father. As an enlightened and interesting father, he taught his daughter to ride a bicycle, taught his daughter to skate in the lotus pond in Tsinghua in winter, and took his daughter to make various novel New Year’s greeting cards. "Dad takes me with me and encourages me to have the courage to try new things," said Wang Yi.
Wang Dazhong also has the same requirements for team members. He brought out a dynamic innovation team that can undertake theoretical research and major engineering projects. He was once the president and also made great contributions to Tsinghua University's creation of a world-class university.
"Comrade Wang Dazhong vigorously advocates the development of intelligence and unity and cooperation, and leads the Nuclear Research Institute to form another 'big' feature - the 'big team' to solve the problem." Tang Yaping, secretary of the Party Committee of the Institute of Nuclear Research at Tsinghua University, said that Wang Dazhong insists on "building a pile to educate people", plays a leading and exemplary role in major decisions, and teaches by example and guides carefully.
Shi Lei, vice president of the Institute of Nuclear Research at Tsinghua University, still remembers Wang Dazhong's doctoral thesis corrected. "My doctoral thesis is full of traces of Mr. Wang's personal revisions. He was the president of Tsinghua University at that time and was very busy with work. He even asked me to discuss it carefully one chapter after another, one paragraph after another."Shi Lei said that Wang Dazhong not only gave specific modification opinions on the overall logical framework and discourse analysis of the paper, but also pointed out all of them as small as the errors in text punctuation and icon symbols.
"For many years, we can often see his simple figure and the famous 28 bicycle that will not be lost. "The story of Wang Dazhong, who was appointed as the president of Tsinghua University in 1994, riding an old bicycle through the campus of Tsinghua University, has been talked about by students of Tsinghua University.
" Jiuqiu Fengde Yue Kiln , winning the green color of thousands of peaks. "Today, Wang Dazhong is still leading the team to outline the grand picture of the atomic energy career. Looking back on his scientific research life, Wang Dazhong said: "Insight refers to the ability to analyze problems. Sometimes improving comprehension requires imagination and intuitive judgment. Courage means daring to try and choosing a no-man's land in the field of technology. Resilience means that when encountering setbacks, you must be tenacious and indomitable. "It is precisely with understanding, courage and resilience that Wang Dazhong has embarked on the innovative path of China's independent research and development and construction of advanced nuclear energy systems.
(Reporter Zhan Yuan of this newspaper)
Source: Guangming Daily
