OVERVIEW OF MAIN

CURRENT MSR PROJECTS

Stéphane BEILS (Framatome)

Jérôme SERP, Stéphane BOURG (CEA)

Massy, le 22/03/2018

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 Summary

 Brief reminder of ORNL past concepts

& List of current projects
 Preliminary considerations on main options
 Overview of some on-going projects

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 BRIEF REMINDER OF ORNL
PAST CONCEPTS
& LIST OF CURRENT PROJECTS

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 235U, then 233U then 239Pu
(no thorium inside)

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 Other ORNL studies

 Double fluid concepts studied by ORNL in the 60’s:

 May allow to limit the presence of thorium in the fuel salt, thus facilitating
the processing out of fission products, and giving possibility to lower
neutron loss due to 233Pa
 Not further pursued because of:
● Potentially more complex designs, so called « plumbing issues »
● Liquid bismuth reductive extraction able to differentiate between thorium and
rare earth FPs
● Ideas to undermoderate the outer zone of the graphite core and limit neutron
leakage
 Study of the MSR potential for LEU burning (Denatured MSR) in
the 70’s

Source: David LeBlanc, Nuclear Engineering and Design 240 (2010) 1644-1656

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 Other past projects & renewal of the concept

 France: review of MSBR concept (EDF, CEA) in the 70’s and 80’s
 Japan: THORIMS-NES (Fuji reactors based on MSRE + Accelerator MSB
for U233 breeding) since the 80’s
 Accelerator driven and subcritical reactor concepts for for waste
incineration, among which:
 US: TIER concepts in the 90’s (TIER1 « once through »)
 JAERI’s molten-chloride ADS (fast-neutron spectrum)
 CEA TASSE concept
 Russia: CSMSR
 EDF studies on AMSTER around 2000 for TRU transmutation then
breeding in Thorium cycle
 Other projects of actinides burners: SPHINX (Czech Republic), REBUS
(EDF), MOSART (Kurchatov)…

Main source: https://www.oecd-nea.org/ndd/reports/2002/3109/nea3109ch9.pdf

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 Current projects
 Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Project – Liquid Fuel (SINAP, China) thermal
 see dedicated presentation
 MOlten Salt Actinide Recycler and Transmuter (Kurchatov and co, Russia) fast
 Molten Salt Fast Reactor (CNRS/SAMOFAR, France) fast
 Indian Molten Salt Breeder Reactor, fast

And also many start-up

 Integral Molten Salt Reactor 400 (Terrestrial Energy, Canada) thermal
 Molten Chloride salt Fast Reactor (Terrapower and co, USA) fast
 Transatomic Power Reactor (Transatomic + MIT, USA) thermal
 ThorCon (Martingale, USA) thermal
 Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (Flibe Energy, USA) thermal
 Stable Salt Reactor (Moltex Energy, UK) fast
 Molten Chloride Fast Reactor (Elysium industries, USA) fast
 Seaborg Waste Burner
(Seaborg technologies, Denmark) thermal
 Copenhagen Atomics Waste Burner
(Copenhagen Atomics, Denmark) thermal
 … Thorenco Process Heat Reactor,
GEM*STAR (ADS)…

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 Current projects

As well as
 (Mini)-Fuji (Thorium Tech Solution Inc, Japan) thermal
 Dual fluid reactor (IFK Berlin, Germany) fast
 …
Not to forget solid fuel concepts (thermal)
 Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Project – Solid Fuel (SINAP, China)
 Fluoride High Temperature Reactor (ORNL, MIT, University of Berkeley and co,
USA) : Mk1 PB-FHR, SmAHTR…
 MARS (micro-particle fuel autonomous molten salt cooled reactor by
Kurchatov, Russia)
 …

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 PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS
ON MAIN OPTIONS

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 Different trends

 Main technical options

 Salt as fuel and/or coolant
 U/Pu or Th/233U cycle, and more generally fuel management strategy
 Fast or thermal neutron spectrum
 Fluoride or chloride salt
 Other technical options
 Fuel loop material
 Small modular or single large units
 Intermediate salt
…
 Strategy for deployment
 Progressive (e.g., first step close to MSRE design) or Innovative trying to
take maximum advantage of the MSR specificities
 Organizations
 National programs, start-up, laboratories…

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 Salt as fuel and/or coolant

 Salt as primary coolant but not fuel (ex. TMSR-SF, FHR)

 Studied for High Temperature solid fuel Reactors based on TRISO fuel
 May allow higher power densities than for gas-cooled reactors
 Intrinsic decay heat removal not achieved as for gas-cooled HTR

 Compared to use of salt as coolant and fuel

 Does not allow drastic simplification of the design (primary circuit, fuel
structures and handling…)
 Does not allow to take benefit from the safety point of view of a liquid fuel

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 Fuel management strategy
 U/Pu cycle (ex. MCFR, LEU burning in IMSR, SNF in TAP)
 Available materials waiting to be valorized
 Suited for breeding only in fast neutron spectrum

 Th/233U cycle (ex. MSFR studies)

 Abundant ressources of 232Thorium in the long term
 Limited TRU production
 Breeding potential both in thermal and fast neutron spectrum
 High gamma radiation linked to 232U
 Potential neutron loss due to 233Pa
 First loading with U/Pu materials

 Batch wise fuel vs online reprocessing

 Some concepts may deal with different fissile materials

and different use (burn or breed)
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 Neutron spectrum
 Thermal spectrum (ex. « MSRE like design », TMSR-LF)
 Limited fuel inventory
but
 Needs for reprocessing
 Negative T°C coefficient which may be positive in some cases (U233 use)
 Moderator (graphite) may constitute a waste difficult to manage

 Fast spectrum (ex. MSFR, MOSART)

 Strong negative T°C coefficient
 Minor actinides fissioning
 Lower (or event no) need for reprocessing
but
 Large fuel inventory
 High dpa on the critical zone surrounding structures

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 Molten salt

 Chloride salts (ex. MCFR from Terrapower)

 Some of them can have higher Pu solubility and lower melting T°C
but
 36Cl production
 Spectrum hardening (not whisable in fast spectrum with Th-U cycle)

 Fluoride salts (most designs):

 When combined with lithium, requires Li7 enrichment to limit tritium
production coming from Li6
 Easier fuel reprocessing thanks to UF6 volatility

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 OVERVIEW OF SOME
ON-GOING PROJECTS

Main sources:
https://www.iaea.org/NuclearPower/Meetings/2016/2016-10-31-11-03-NPTDS.html
http://www.energyprocessdevelopments.com/uploads/EPD%20MSR%20Review%20Feasibility%20Study%20July%202015%201.02.pdf

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 TMSR-LF1 by SINAP, China
2 MWt test reactor Liquid fuel Thermal Research on Th-U cycle in FLiBe
(and 168 MWe for TMSR-LF2) (graphite moderator)

 May be close to the MSRE (first steps in the Chinese learning curve).
Significant and serious R&D effort. TMSR-Solid Fuel (Triso) also considered in parallel

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 MOSART by Kurchatov, Russia
2400 MWt /1000 MWe Liquid fuel Fast Initial fuel: Pu and MA trifluorides from
PWR spent fuel in LiF-BeF2
U233 to be provided by Th adjustment
(single and double fluid concepts studied)

 Fast reactor configuration with liquid fuel presenting a high potential for enhanced
safety and design simplification. Graphite still present as reflector. A lot of R&D on
Russian’s side, notably on materials

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 MSFR by CNRS, France
3 GWt Liquid fuel Fast LiF-ThF4-UF4-(TRU)F3
Fertile blanket : LiF-ThF4
(double fluid concept)

 Fast reactor configuration with liquid fuel presenting a high potential for enhanced
safety and design simplification. MSFR is retained as the working horse for SAMOFAR
project. CNRS also considering the study of a small MSR.

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 Indian Molten Salt Breeder Reactor
850 MWe Liquid fuel Fast LiF-ThF4-UF4
Fertile blanket : LiF-ThF4

 Preliminary studied as a possible option within the third stage strategy of India
(optimized utilization of thorium). Both pool and loop types studied, as well as
different salts.

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 ISMR400 by Terrestrial Energy, Canada

400 MWt Liquid fuel Thermal LEU in NaF – RbF – UF4

(burner) (or LiF-BeF2-UF4)

 Several basic options close to the MSRE. Sealed and passive concept.
Pre-Licensing review initiated in Canada, and $17.2 million fundraising
achieved
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 Molten Chloride Fast Reactor
by Terrapower, USA

30 MWth (test reactor) Liquid fuel Fast Molten chloride

(Breeder or U/Pu cycle (LEU or SNF)
burner) (could use thorium)

 Project was awarded a grant up to $40 million by the US DOE in January 2016

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 Transatomic Power Reactor, USA

20 MWt pilot - Liquid fuel Thermal- U or SNF in LiF – UF4

1250 MWt commercial Epithermal
(Burner)

 Several basic options close to the MSRE except mainly for its
utilization of zirconium hydride as moderator instead of graphite.
False calculations announced beginning of 2017.
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 Thorcon by Marthingale, USA

8 MWt pilot – 550 MWt Liquid fuel Thermal U & Th in

commercial (Burner) NaF – BeF2 – (Th/U)F4
Centralized facility for fuel
reprocessing

 Several basic options close to the MSRE.

Modular/replaceable and passive concept. SS316Ti structures.

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 Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor
by Flibe Energy, USA
2 MWt pilot – 2225 MWt Liquid fuel Thermal U & Th in LiF-BEF2 –
commercial (Breeder) (Th/U)F4
Thorium in blanket salt

 Several basic options close to the MSRE. Double fluid configuration though.
Modular concept proposed.

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 Stable Salt Reactor by Moltex, UK
375 MWth Liquid fuel (spent nuclear fuel in Fast NaF - ZrF (KF)
NaCl – (U/Pu/La)Cl3) in tubes

 Claims for no pump, no new material (tbc for fuel tubes), and modularity
Liquid fuel but still shares some solid-fuel concepts’s constraints in terms of design
and safety
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 Other concepts…

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 Conclusions

 Many design variants corresponding to different

strategies, in particular regarding fuel management
 More thorough analysis still to be performed
assessing the potential of the different design options
both for Th/U and U/Pu cycles
 A joint effort to coordinate the technological watch
could be worthwhile
 Concepts with the highest potential benefits are those
with liquid fuel and fast neutron spectrum
 Most likely to be built projects in the near future are in
China

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