Seminar: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Foundational Studies to Support Molten Salt Reactor Development

Joanna McFarlane will present an overview of research supporting molten salt reactor development at ORNL. ORNL was the site of the first operating molten salt reactors, both fluoride-salt based. The experience gained from running the molten salt reactor experiment (MSRE) in the late 1960s provides a basis for current reactor concepts under development.

There are numerous aspects to development of a reactor including salt preparation and characterization, salt properties and database development. ORNL performs testing of sensors for online salt measurements, in small scale apparatuses as well as two large-scale test loops – one with a LiF-KF-NaF eutectic and one with a chloride mixture selected for thermal energy storage. Interaction of salts with materials, alloys and graphite, are also key parts of the molten salt program. Experimentalists collaborate with modelers of molten salt behavior, who have developed thermal hydraulic codes to simulate the test loops. A new thrust is to explore two phase flow as it applies to fission gases and bubble formation in salts. ORNL hosts two US Department of Energy Office of Science user facilities and we have collaborated with universities and reactor developers to obtain fundamental data on molten salt behavior and structure. The molten salt program at ORNL is primarily supported by the United States Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy. We enjoy collaboration with other Department of Energy laboratories, reactor developers and industrial partners, working with international partners, and hosting university faculty, post-doctoral fellows, and graduate students at our facilities.