Molten salt reactors and thorium energy / edited by Thomas J. Dolan.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Dolan, Thomas James, editor.

Series:

Woodhead Publishing in energy.

Woodhead Publishing Series in Energy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Thorium.

Molten salt reactors.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (841 pages) : color illustrations.

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Duxford, England : Woodhead Publishing, 2017.

Summary:

Molten Salt Reactors is a comprehensive reference on the status of molten salt reactor (MSR) research and thorium fuel utilization. There is growing awareness that nuclear energy is needed to complement intermittent energy sources and to avoid pollution from fossil fuels. Light water reactors are complex, expensive, and vulnerable to core melt, steam explosions, and hydrogen explosions, so better technology is needed. MSRs could operate safely at nearly atmospheric pressure and high temperature, yielding efficient electrical power generation, desalination, actinide incineration, hydrogen production, and other industrial heat applications. Coverage includes: Motivation -- why are we interested? Technical issues - reactor physics, thermal hydraulics, materials, environment, ... Generic designs -- thermal, fast, solid fuel, liquid fuel, ... Specific designs - aimed at electrical power, actinide incineration, thorium utilization, ... Worldwide activities in 23 countries Conclusions This book is a collaboration of 58 authors from 23 countries, written in cooperation with the International Thorium Molten Salt Forum. It can serve as a reference for engineers and scientists, and it can be used as a textbook for graduate students and advanced undergrads. Molten Salt Reactors is the only complete review of the technology currently available, making this an essential text for anyone reviewing the use of MSRs and thorium fuel, including students, nuclear researchers, industrial engineers, and policy makers. Written in cooperation with the International Thorium Molten-Salt Forum Covers MSR-specific issues, various reactor designs, and discusses issues such as the environmental impact, non-proliferation, and licensing Includes case studies and examples from experts across the globe

Contents:

Front Cover

Molten Salt Reactors and Thorium Energy

Copyright Page

Vision

Contents

List of Contributors

Preface

1 Introduction

1.1 Need for MSR

1.2 MSR origin and research curtailment

1.3 MSR activities

1.4 Fissile fuels

1.5 Thorium fuel advantages

1.6 Liquid fuel MSR

1.7 Advantages of liquid fuel MSR

1.7.1 Safety advantages

1.7.2 Economic advantages

1.7.3 Environmental advantages

1.7.4 Nonproliferation advantages

1.8 MSR development issues

1.9 Tritium issues

References

2 Electricity production

2.1 Heat engines

2.2 Rankine cycles

2.3 Helium Brayton cycles

2.4 Supercritical CO2 Brayton cycles

2.5 Metal vapor combined cycles

2.5.1 Mercury/water binary cycle

2.5.2 Potassium/steam binary cycle

2.6 Nuclear air Brayton power cycles

2.6.1 Nuclear Air-Brayton combined cycle

2.6.2 Heat storage

2.6.3 Economics

2.6.4 Observations

2.7 Summary

3 Chemical fundamentals and applications of molten salts

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Fundamental physicochemical properties of molten salts

3.2.1 Molten salts as working fluids in thermochemical processes

3.2.2 Chemistry, bonding, and electronic structure of molten salts

3.2.3 Phase transformations in molten salts

3.2.4 Crystallographic relations between the solid phase and persistent short-range order in molten salts

3.2.5 Soft-sphere equations of state for the molten phase: The Helmholtz equation and proposed modifications resulting from...

3.2.6 Summary of physicochemical properties of molten salts and theoretical considerations

3.3 Remote power sources

3.3.1 Historical context

3.3.2 Radioisotope thermoelectric generators and betavoltaic cells as RPSs: Extracting electrical work from MSR waste

3.3.3 Space-based nuclear reactors as remote power sources.

3.3.4 Materials considerations for a space-based MSR

3.3.5 Fueling the MSR on Mars and its employment as elemental production platform

3.4 Heat exchangers and materials embrittlement challenges

3.4.1 Tellurium embrittlement

3.4.2 Tritium embrittlement

3.5 High-temperature commercial applications

3.5.1 Ammonia production

3.5.2 Hydrogen production

3.5.2.1 Hydrogen derived from fossil fuels

3.5.2.2 Hydrogen derived from electrolysis

3.5.2.3 Thermochemically derived hydrogen

3.5.3 Catalytic cracking

3.6 Actinide burning

3.6.1 Historical context

3.6.2 Fluoride preprocessing and SNF fission for an MSR

3.7 Medical isotopes

3.8 Desalination

3.8.1 Context

3.8.2 Desalination plant types

3.8.3 Global reliance on desalinated water and the nuclear role

3.8.4 Comparison of nuclear versus renewables for desalination

3.8.5 Nuclear versus renewables financial perspective

3.9 Optical applications

3.10 Summary and conclusions

Acknowledgment

Further Reading

4 Reactor physics of MSR

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Interaction of neutrons with matter

4.2.1 Several processes can produce neutrons

4.3 Multiplication factor of chain reactions

4.4 Cross-sections

4.5 Reaction rate

4.6 Neutron energy distribution and maxwell-bolzmann distribution

4.7 Transport and diffusion of neutrons

4.7.1 Energy discretization

4.7.2 One energy group approximation

4.7.3 Calculation of nuclear group constants

4.7.4 Fuel burnup calculations

4.8 Criticality equation

4.9 Kinetic equations

4.10 Monte Carlo method

4.11 Conclusion

5 Kinetics, dynamics, and neutron noise in stationary MSRs

5.1 Introduction

5.2 The MSR model

5.3 The static equations

5.3.1 The adjoint property

5.3.2 Interpretation of the equation and some limiting cases.

5.3.3 The case of no recirculation

5.3.4 The case of infinite fuel velocity

5.3.5 The full solution

5.3.6 Alternative solution of the MSR equations

5.3.7 Quantitative results

5.4 Space-time-dependent transient during start-up

5.4.1 The space-time-dependent equations for the transient

5.4.2 Solution for u →∞

5.4.2.1 Asymptotic values

5.4.2.2 Quantitative analysis

5.5 Dynamic equations in the frequency domain: neutron noise

5.5.1 The Green's function

5.5.2 Solution for u=∞

5.5.3 Quantitative analysis: comparison with traditional systems

5.5.4 Results with finite velocity

5.6 The point kinetic approximation and the point kinetic component

5.6.1 Introduction

5.6.2 Derivation of the linearized point kinetic equations

5.6.3 Point kinetic equation with static fluxes

5.6.4 Derivation of the point kinetic component from the full solution

5.7 The neutron noise in an MSR, induced by propagating perturbations

5.8 Conclusions

6 Thermal hydraulics of liquid-fueled MSRs

6.1 Introduction

6.2 Preliminary approach to thermo-hydraulics of internally heated molten salts

6.2.1 Analytic Framework for Validation Purposes

6.2.2 Laminar flow

6.2.3 Turbulent flow

6.3 Heat transfer and pressure losses

6.3.1 Laminar flow

6.3.2 Turbulent flow

6.4 Effects of internal heat generation on natural circulation stability

6.5 Conclusions

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

7 Materials

7.1 Molten salt

7.2 Solid fuels with molten salt coolants

7.3 Thorium fuel cycle

7.4 Moderators

7.4.1 Graphite

7.4.2 Beryllium

7.4.3 Lithium

7.5 Structural materials

7.5.1 Requirements for good structural materials

7.5.2 Development of corrosion resistant alloys

7.5.3 Reduction of the corrosive potential of molten salts.

7.5.4 Hastelloy N and other Nickel-based superalloys

7.6 Conclusions

8 Chemical processing of liquid fuel

8.1 Introduction

8.2 Processing of fresh liquid fuel for MSR

8.3 Reprocessing technology of MSR fuel

8.4 Gas extraction process

8.5 Fused salt volatilization

8.6 Molten salt/liquid metal extraction

8.7 Electrochemical separation processes

8.8 Vacuum distillation

8.9 MSR reprocessing flowsheets

8.10 Conclusions

9 Environment, waste, and resources

9.1 Decay heat in the thorium cycle

9.1.1 Introduction

9.1.2 Unique features of MSR decay heat

9.1.3 Calculation method

9.1.4 Components of decay heat

9.1.5 Other influences on decay heat calculation

9.1.6 Verification of decay heat calculation

9.1.7 Final results

9.1.8 Summary

9.2 Radiotoxicity in the thorium cycle

9.2.1 Introduction

9.2.2 Calculation method

9.2.3 Radiotoxicity comparison between U-core and Th-core in PWR

9.2.4 Effect of online reprocessing for MSR

9.2.5 Radiotoxicity for PWR MOX fuel

9.2.6 Summary

9.3 Nuclear waste from ThorCon type reactors

9.4 Resource utilization

9.4.1 Thorium

9.4.1.1 Properties and resources

9.4.1.2 Thorium minerals

9.4.1.3 Thorium abundance

9.4.1.4 Thorium resources

9.4.2 Helium resource

9.5 Summary

10 Nonproliferation and safeguards aspects of the MSR fuel cycle

10.1 Introduction to nonproliferation and nuclear safeguards

10.2 The proliferation threat

10.3 Attractiveness of nuclear materials

10.3.1 Heat generation

10.3.2 Spontaneous neutron generation

10.3.3 Radiation

10.4 Nuclear safeguards

10.4.1 Safeguarding the LWR fuel cycle

10.4.2 Safeguarding the MSR fuel cycle

10.5 Nonproliferation advantages and disadvantages with MSRs.

10.5.1 Fundamental differences between MSRs and LWRs

10.5.1.1 The fuel cycle

10.5.1.2 The reactor

10.5.1.3 The fuel

10.5.2 Nonproliferation aspects of MSRs

10.6 Means of improving MSR fuel cycle proliferation resistance

10.6.1 Denaturation

10.6.2 Physical protection

10.6.3 Options for MSR fuel salt reprocessing

10.7 Summary and conclusion

11 Liquid fuel, thermal neutron spectrum reactors

11.1 Development of molten salt reactor at ORNL

11.1.1 Liquid fuel reactor, from water to molten salt

11.1.2 Selection of thermal neutron spectrum

11.1.3 Molten salt fast-spectrum reactor (MSFR)

11.1.4 Two-fluid MSR

11.1.5 MSBR, large-sized single-fluid molten salt breeder reactor

11.1.6 Denatured molten salt reactor (DMSR)

11.1.7 Termination of MSR development at ORNL

11.1.8 Summary

11.2 Current MSR designs after ORNL (FUJI)

11.2.1 Introduction

11.2.2 Concept of FUJI-U3 (using 233U as fissile)

11.2.3 Design conditions

11.2.4 Calculation procedure for criticality

11.2.5 Criticality property and main results

11.2.6 Computational procedure for burnup characteristics

11.2.7 Chemical processing of fuel salt

11.2.8 Power control options for FUJI

11.2.9 Burnup behavior of reactor characteristics

11.2.10 Material balance of actinides

11.2.11 Fission products

11.2.12 Fuel requirement and actinides for a 1GWe plant

11.2.13 FUJI-Pu (using Pu as initial fissile)

11.2.14 Transmutation of minor actinides by the MSR-FUJI

11.2.15 super-FUJI (large-sized plant)

11.2.16 mini-FUJI (pilot plant)

11.2.17 Summary of FUJI design results

11.3 Safety concepts of the MSR

11.3.1 Introduction

11.3.2 Safety concepts of the MSR

11.3.3 Safety analysis of the MSR

11.3.4 MSR safety against fukushima-type accidents

11.3.5 Summary.

11.4 Safety criteria of the MSR.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references at the end of each chapters and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (ebrary, viewed July 6, 2017).

ISBN:

0-08-101243-8