Introduction to the physics of the molten salt fast reactor by The "E" Generation. Breeder reactor. A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor capable of generating more fissile material than it consumes.[1] These devices are able to achieve this feat because their neutron economy is high enough to breed more fissile fuel than they use from fertile material like uranium-238 or thorium-232.
Breeders were at first considered attractive because of their superior fuel economy compared to light water reactors. Interest in breeders declined after the 1960s as more uranium reserves were found,[2] and new methods of uranium enrichment reduced fuel costs. Fuel efficiency and Types of Nuclear Waste[edit] Breeder reactors could, in principle, extract almost all of the energy contained in uranium or thorium, decreasing fuel requirements by a factor of 100 compared to traditional once-through light water reactors. Nuclear waste became a greater concern by the 1990s. The physical behavior of the fission products is markedly different from that of the transuranics.
American Scientist Online. The content you've requested is available without charge only to active Sigma Xi members and American Scientist subscribers.
If you are an active member or an individual subscriber, please log in now in order to access this article. If you are not a member or individual subscriber, you can: Order this issue through our online store. Purchase this article in PDF format. Buy an individual subscription to American Scientist magazine. Abstract: When the United States committed decades ago to uranium fuel and pressurized-water reactors for its nuclear program, other viable technologies were set aside.
TEAC3_Holden_Charles.pdf (application/pdf Object) Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor. Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors. An old idea in nuclear power gets reexamined Robert Hargraves, Ralph Moir When the United States committed decades ago to uranium fuel and pressurized-water reactors for its nuclear program, other viable technologies were set aside.
One, the liquid thorium fuel reactor with molten salt coolant, is re-emerging as potentially the safest, most cost-effective solution to future energy needs in the carbon-containment era. Thorium is abundant, produces far less toxic fission products than uranium and may soon compete with coal for cost per kilowatt-hour. The chemistry of thorium fission is compelling, and the engineering of thorium reactors, with a longer history than most people realize, appears to be seductively manageable. Go to Article Sending... Your email has been sent Enter the words above:Incorrect please try again. Liquid Fuel Nuclear Reactors « Energy from Thorium. Molten salt reactor. Molten salt reactor scheme.
A molten salt reactor (MSR) is a class of nuclear fission reactors in which the primary coolant, or even the fuel itself, is a molten salt mixture. MSRs run at higher temperatures than water-cooled reactors for higher thermodynamic efficiency, while staying at low vapor pressure. The early Aircraft Reactor Experiment (1954) was primarily motivated by the small size that the design could provide, while the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment (1965–1969) was a prototype for a thorium fuel cycle breeder reactor nuclear power plant. One of the Generation IV reactor designs is a molten salt-cooled, solid-fuel reactor[not in citation given]; the initial reference design is 1000 MWe.[1] History[edit] Aircraft reactor experiment[edit] Aircraft Reactor Experiment building at ORNL, it was later retrofitted for the MSRE. Extensive research into molten salt reactors started with the U.S. aircraft reactor experiment (ARE) in support of the U.S. Thorium fuel cycle. The thorium fuel cycle is a nuclear fuel cycle that uses the naturally abundant isotope of thorium, 232Th, as the fertile material.
In the reactor, 232Th is transmuted into the fissile artificial uranium isotope 233U which is the nuclear fuel. Unlike natural uranium, natural thorium contains only trace amounts of fissile material (such as 231Th), which are insufficient to initiate a nuclear chain reaction. Additional fissile material or another neutron source are necessary to initiate the fuel cycle. In a thorium-fueled reactor, 232Th absorbs neutrons eventually to produce 233U.
This parallels the process in uranium breeder reactors whereby fertile 238U absorbs neutrons to form fissile 239Pu. The thorium fuel cycle claims several potential advantages over a uranium fuel cycle, including thorium's greater abundance, superior physical and nuclear properties, better resistance to nuclear weapons proliferation[1][2][3] and reduced plutonium and actinide production.[3] History[edit]