Thermal- and Fast-Spectrum Molten Salt Reactors for Actinide Burning and Fuel Production

Conference · Mon Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 2007

OSTI ID:931822

Forsberg, Charles W ^[1]

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1. ORNL

In a molten salt reactor (MSR), the fuel is dissolved in a fluoride salt coolant. The technology was partly developed in the 1950s and 1960s. With changing goals for advanced reactors and new technologies, there is currently a renewed interest in MSRs. The new technologies include (1) Brayton power cycles (rather than steam cycles) that eliminate many of the historical challenges in building MSRs and (2) the conceptual development of several fast-spectrum MSRs that have large negative temperature and void coefficients, a unique safety characteristic not found in solid-fuel fast reactors. Earlier MSRs were thermal-neutron-spectrum reactors. Compared with solid-fueled reactors, MSR systems have lower fissile inventories, no radiation damage constraint on attainable fuel burnup, no spent nuclear fuel, no requirement to fabricate and handle solid fuel, and a single isotopic composition of fuel in the reactor. These and other characteristics may enable MSRs to have potentially unique capabilities and competitive economics for actinide burning and extending fuel resources. The status, unique characteristics, and recent worldwide advances in MSRs are described.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)
• Sponsoring Organization: NE USDOE - Office of Nuclear Energy
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 931822
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS
ACTINIDES
FAST REACTORS
MOLTEN SALT REACTORS
NUCLEAR FUELS
PRODUCTION
SOLID FUELS
VOID COEFFICIENT