The studies demonstrated that fuel regeneration is possible with the thorium fuel cycle in an epithermal spectrum, provided very ef. On the other hand, prime attention is inclined to thorium molten salt reactor msr in recent years due to necessity for radioactive waste disposal, nuclear. A thorium reactor is a form of nuclear energy, proposed for use as a molten salt reactor. Molten salt reactors msrs papers, books, and reports.
Proprietary msr design the integral molten salt reactor imsr high technology readiness. A molten salt reactor msr is a class of nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear reactor coolant andor the fuel is a molten salt mixture. October 8, 2018, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the operation of the moltensalt reactor experiment msre using uranium233 as a fuel. An alternative source for venezuelan nuclear energy. Moltensalt reactor program progress reports tablesofcontents pdf.
Thorium is an abundant, safe, and cheap fuel source for efficient, proven, and stable molten salt reactors msr an msr operated from 1965 to 1969 without fault at oak ridge national laboratories ornl 1 under alvin weinberg, pioneer of the standard uranium pressurized water reactor pwr, until it was shut down due to its inability to produce weapons grade material for the cold war and. Ralph moir, who continues to help and encourage me and many other pilgrims, in our molten salt adventures journey. Andrew yang, an entrepreneur and democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election, promises to make thorium molten salt reactors as part of his climate plan for achieving netzero emissions by 2050. Reactors containing molten thorium salt are called liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr. Why the molten salt reactor msr was not developed by the usa i was reintroduced to molten salt reactors msrs by oak ridge national laboratorys ornl dr. Thorium could be used in a variety of different types of reactors, including conventional lightwater reactors, which are the type used in the united states. Molten salt reactors, in the configuration presented here and called thorium molten salt reactor tmsr, are particularly well suited to fulfil the criteria defined by the generation iv forum, and may be operated in simplified and safe conditions in. Thorium fuel cycle thorium fuel type thoriumbased molten salt reactor some design concerns safeguards and nonproliferation salt chemistry and purification major impurities in the primary salt lanthanides fission products removal nonmetal impurity removal molten salt corrosion corrosion mechanisms corrosion kinetics.
Molten salt reactor use molten fluoride salts as primary coolant, at low pressure. A particular focus is a plan to develop the worlds first largescale thoriumpowered, moltensalt reactors which could generate less radioactive waste and help reduce the reliance on fossil. Molten salt reactors and thorium energy 1st edition. Msrs offer multiple advantages over conventional nuclear power plants, although for historical reasons further explanation needed, they have not been deployed the concept was first established in the 1950s.
Oak ridge national laboratory ran molten salt thorium reactor experiments from the 1960s until 1976. This concept is not new, but includes many advantages of safety, sustainability and nuclear nonproliferation over older legacy designs which. Sinap is making new plan towards tmsr commercialization, and making effort for industrialization of molten salt related techniques. Molten salt reactors and thorium energy sciencedirect. Shus nuclear power device is called a twofluid molten salt reactor. Terrestrial thorium is 3 times as abundant as uranium with large. Molten salt reactors and thorium energy scitech connect. The feasibility of thorium utilization in high temperature gas cooled reactors htgr, light water reactors lwr, pressurized heavy water reactors phwrs, liquid metal cooled fast breeder reactors lmfbr and molten salt breeder. A thoriumsalt reactor has fired up for the first time in. Liquid fuel molten salt reactors for thorium utilization. U233 is a superior nuclear fuel, producing enough neutrons through its fission. Molten salt reactors could soon help power earthand one. In 20, the national energy administration included the tmsr project among the 25 national energy major applicationtechnology research and.
Dont believe the spin on thorium being a greener nuclear. Thorium fuel cycles in molten salt reactor designs. Wprs and the generation iv international forum molten salt reactor system steering committee gifmsr. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, the scientists at oak ridge national laboratory in the usa developed the molten salt reactor design a liquid salt fueled and cooled nuclear reactor system. The team at nrg is testing several reactor designs on a small scale at first. Includes case studies and examples from experts across the globe.
Thorium is weakly radioactive, has a high melting point, and is available with more abundance than uranium as an element. Note that, due to the much higher heat transfer capability of liquid molten salt or metal, a vhtr can operate at. Shortcomings of current pwr and bwr, solid uraniumfuel, nuclear power reactors are summarized. Thorium fuel cyclebased molten salt reactor safeguards. Molten salt reactors is a comprehensive reference on the status of molten salt reactor msr research and thorium fuel utilization.
The results of the moltensalt reactor program were documented in hundreds of papers, and specifically in a series of semiannual progress reports, stretching from 1958 to 1967. The molten salt reactor, which does not have to be thorium fuelled does not need expensive steam containment structure, therefore, it is mass producible. A molten salt reactor msr is a class of generation iv nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear reactor coolant, or even the fuel itself, is a molten salt mixture. Molten salt reactors could soon help power earthand one day mars. Written in cooperation with the international thorium moltensalt forum. But does thorium really represent nuclear innovation. In the past few years, the thorium molten salt reactor tmsr concept for energy production with thorium has been studied again in france, with the idea to explore all its potentialities and to simplify it consequently 910.
High efficiency nuclear power plants using liquid fluoride. Uri gat, who introduced me to molten salt reactors in 1993 and dr. To a limited group of technophiles and nuclear technology enthusiasts, thorium has become a unicorn. A slightly different type of msr can consume the uraniumplutonium waste from solidfueled reactors as fuel. This could be considered as an extreme industrial npp concept being a combination of the thoriumbased fuel cycle with accelerator driven systems adsmsr known as the rubbia proposal7. Nuclear power will be used continuously as lowcarbon energy for a sustainable society. How china hopes to play a leading role in developing next. I say reintroduced, because like many nuclear engineering and.
It is shown how the molten salt reactor msr created and operated at oak ridge national laboratory. The prothorium lobby claim a single tonne of thorium burned in a molten salt reactor msr typically a liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr which has liquid rather than solid fuel, can. It is based on molten salts and there are a variety of designs that must be approved for testing see the best one. One uses molten salt in tubes surrounded by non fissionable fuel salts. The first experiment is on a setup called a moltensalt fast reactor, which burns thorium salt and in theory should. New molten salt thorium reactor powers up for first time. Uri gat in 1993 while researching aqueous homogenous reactors, which ornl had also built and operated. Much of the interest today in reviving the msr concept relates to using thorium to breed fissile uranium233. A littleknown type of nuclear reactor called the molten salt reactor msr, in which nuclear fuel is dissolved in a liquid carrier salt, was proposed in the 1940s and developed at the oak.
Spectral shift in a thorium msr with plutonium as the initial fissile material fissile and nonfissile plutonium concentrations during operation chemtriton molten salt reactor analysis msr startup fuel cycle analysis analysis of a molten salt breeder reactor 233uth fuel, graphite moderated. The moltensalt reactor experiment msre was an experimental molten salt reactor at the oak ridge national laboratory ornl researching this technology through the 1960s. In general, use of thorium based fuel in light water reactors is possible. It is fueled by the uranium233 isotope that is taken from the element thorium. There is growing awareness that nuclear energy is needed to complement intermittent energy sources and to avoid pollution from fossil fuels. On the other hand, prime attention is inclined to thorium moltensalt reactor msr in recent years due to necessity for radioactive waste disposal, nuclear. The tablesofcontents from all of these reports are available in a single, compact pdf document. Thorium fuel cycle potential benefits and challenges. Thorium breeders obvious but msr burners also very efficient on uranium use. Molten salt reactors incl liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Introduction of thorium in the nuclear fuel cycle nuclear science 2015 232 90 nea short to longterm. Several experimental and prototype power reactors were successfully operated during the mid 1950s to the mid 1970s using th, uo2 and th, uc2 fuels in high temperature gas cooled reactors htgr, th, uo2 fuel in light water reactors lwr and li7fbef 2thf4uf4 fuel in molten salt breeder reactor msbr.