Molten Salt Reactors - Safety Options Galore

Conference · Sun Jun 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997

OSTI ID:469120

Gat, Uri ^[1]; Dodds, H. L. ^[2]

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1. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
2. 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 Laboratory (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
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
Control Rods
Fluid Fuel Reactors (FFR)
Loss-Of-Coolant Accident (LOCA)
MOLTEN SALT FUELED REACTORS
Molten Salt Breeder Reactor (MSBR)
Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE)
Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)
Passive
Inherent and Non Tamperable (PINT)
REACTOR SAFETY
Ultimate Safe Reactor (U.S.R)