Molten Salt Reactors - Safety Options Galore
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Safety features and attributes of molten salt reactors (MSR) are described. The unique features of fluid fuel reactors of on-line continuous processing and the ability for so-called external cooling result in simple and safe designs with low excess reactivity, low fission product inventory, and small source term. These, in turn, make a criticality accident unlikely and reduce the severity of a loss of coolant to where they are no longer severe accidents. A melt down is not an accident for a reactor that uses molten fuel. The molten salts are stable, non-reactive and efficient heat transfer media that operate at high temperatures at low pressures and are highly compatible with selected structural materials. All these features reduce the accident plethora. Freeze valves can be used for added safety. An ultimate safe reactor (U.S.R) is described with safety features that are passive, inherent and non-tamperable (PINT).
- Research Organization:
- Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC05-96OR22464
- OSTI ID:
- 469120
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970649-6; ON: DE97003664; TRN: 97:009884
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: ARS '97: American Nuclear Society (ANS) International Meeting on Advanced Reactors Safety, Orlando, FL (United States), 1-5 Jun 1997; Other Information: PBD: 1997
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
MOLTEN SALT FUELED REACTORS
REACTOR SAFETY
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Ultimate Safe Reactor (U.S.R)
Molten Salt Breeder Reactor (MSBR)
Loss-Of-Coolant Accident (LOCA)
Passive
Inherent and Non Tamperable (PINT)
Control Rods
Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE)
Fluid Fuel Reactors (FFR)