Molten Salt Reactors - Safety Options Galore

Gat, Uri; Dodds, H. L.

Title: Molten Salt Reactors - Safety Options Galore

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Abstract

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).

Authors:

Gat, Uri ^[1]; Dodds, H. L. ^[2]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

Publication Date:: Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1997

Research Org.:: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Nuclear Criticality Safety Program (NCSP)

OSTI Identifier:: 469120

Report Number(s):: CONF-970649-6
ON: DE97003664; TRN: 97:009884

DOE Contract Number:: AC05-96OR22464

Resource Type:: Conference

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

Subject:: 21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS; 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)

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                    Gat, Uri, and Dodds, H. L. Molten Salt Reactors - Safety Options Galore.  United States: N. p., 1997. 
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                    Gat, Uri, & Dodds, H. L. Molten Salt Reactors - Safety Options Galore.  United States.

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                    Gat, Uri, and Dodds, H. L. 1997.  
        "Molten Salt Reactors - Safety Options Galore".  United States.  https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/469120.

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@article{osti_469120,

  title        = {Molten Salt Reactors - Safety Options Galore},

  author       = {Gat, Uri and Dodds, H. L.},

  abstractNote = {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).},

  doi          = {},

  url          = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/469120},
  journal      = {},
number       = ,

  volume       = ,

  place        = {United States},

  year         = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1997},

  month        = {Sun Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1997}

}

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