David Holcomb presents his collaboration with George Flanagan, and Mike Poore: "MSR Fuel Salt Qualification Guidance Development" at the 2021 Oak Ridge National Laboratory / GAIN Molten-Salt Reactor Workshop.
Fuel qualification is a process which provides high confidence that physical and chemical behavior of fuel is sufficiently understood so that it can be adequately modeled for both normal and accident conditions, reflecting the role of the fuel design in the overall safety of the facility. Uncertainties are defined so that calculated fission product releases include the appropriate margins to ensure conservative calculation of radiological dose consequences.
Liquid salt fuel serves as nuclear fuel and primary heat transfer media. It must meet requirements for both purposes.
Solid Fuel:
- Mechanically damageable
- Composition set prior to use
- Properties depend on fabrication process
Liquid Fuel:
- Chemically damageable - may be repairable during use
- Composition may be adjustable during use
- Properties depend on composition and state
- Container breach could release nearly all radionuclides
Common Salt Properties and Plant Functions Enable a General Liquid Fuel Salt Evaluation Method:
- Specific accident sequences are design dependent
- Basic operational and safety functions are common to any nuclear power plant
- Halide salt characteristics are common to any MSR... High boiling points (low pressure). Low Gibbs free energy (low chemical potential energy). Natural circulation heat transfer properties.
- Fuel salt interacts with its container layers via common chemical and physical mechanisms, for example via thermal energy transfer, chemical reactions, and mechanical processes.