A novel method to construct two-fluid molten-salt reactor

A novel method to construct two-fluid molten-salt reactor

Docket Number：08A-980430
Inventor：Frank Hsia-San Shu
IP Status：PCT pending
Abstract：

Two-fluid molten-salt breeder-reactors operating on the thorium fuel cycle are the most versatile of all nuclear reactors. Issues of mechanical strength at high temperatures, leak worthiness, resistance to corrosion, thermal expansion differences, tight neutron economy, and radiation damage make them challenging to build. Our invention uses a large pool of blanket salt surrounding a carbon-based nuclear-reactor core that carries the fuel salt and coolant blanket salt in cross channels to solve these problems. The excellent thermal conductivity of graphite combined with the low vapor pressure and high specific-heat capacity of molten salts make possible compact and passively safe systems.
Fields of Application：

Electricity generation, high-temperature chemistry, industrial processes that require high-temperature heat with a large throughput of thermal power.
Advantages when compared to the existing technologies：

1. Multiple passive systems to assure operational safety
2. Reasonable cost for baseload electricity generation,
3. Large-throughput provider of high-temperature process heat,
4. Acceptable local management of nuclear waste,
5. Improved safeguards against weapons proliferation,
6. Long-term sustainability of the nuclear-energy option,
7. Possible location away from population centers because of closed cooling system that does not require large flows of water.

Contact Person：Mei-Fang Lee, 886-2-2787-2503, mflee@gate.sinica.edu.tw