Fusion Blankets and Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors with Flibe Salt Coolant: Common Challenges, Tritium Control, and Opportunities for Synergistic Development Strategies Between Fission, Fusion, and Solar Salt Technologies

Forsberg, Charles W.; Zheng, Guiqiu; Ballinger, R. G.; Lam, Stephen T.

doi:10.1080/00295450.2019.1691400

Cited by 52 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Peak electricity demand will likely occur at times of no solar and little wind. The economic need is for nuclear plant systems (1) with assured peak electric generating capacity (kilowatts), (2) with variable electricity to the grid to meet the gap between electricity demand and supply from wind and solar and (3) that buy excess electricity (kilowatt hours) at times of very low prices (Sec. III).…”

Section: Iif Implications For Npp Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Market Basis for Salt-Cooled Reactors: Dispatchable Heat, Hydrogen, and Electricity with Assured Peak Power Capacity

Forsberg

2020

Nuclear Technology

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Energy markets are changing because of (1) the addition of nondispatchable wind and solar electric generating capacity and (2) the goal of a low-carbon energy system. The large-scale addition of wind and solar photovoltaics results in low wholesale electricity prices at times of high wind and solar output and high prices at times of low wind and solar input. The goal of a low-carbon energy system requires a replacement energy production system with assured peak energy production capacity. To minimize costs, capital-intensive nuclear reactors should operate at base load. To maximize revenue (minimize sales at times of low prices and maximize sales at times of high prices), the power cycle should provide variable heat and electricity. This requires the power cycle to (1) include heat storage that enables peak heat and electricity output that may be several times base-load reactor output and (2) provide assured peak power production. Assured peak power production requires the capability to efficiently burn lowcarbon fuels such as hydrogen and biofuels. Alternatively, nuclear systems with base-load reactors can be built to produce peak electricity and storable hydrogen for industry, biofuels, and other markets. All power reactors with appropriate system designs can meet these requirements. The lowest-cost technologies for heat storage, assured peak power production, and hydrogen production require high-temperature heat. This economically favors salt-cooled reactors with the average temperature of delivered heat of about 650°C versus heat delivered at lower average temperatures from other reactors such as light water reactors: 280°C, sodium-cooled reactors: 500°C, and high-temperature helium-cooled reactors: 550°C. Salt-cooled reactors include (1) Fluoride-salt-cooled High-temperature Reactors (FHRs) with solid fuel and clean salt, (2) Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) with fuel dissolved in the salt, and (3) fusion reactors with salt blankets. Future energy markets, nuclear systems (heat storage, assured peak energy production capacity, and hydrogen production) designed for such markets and the power cycle technologies that economically favor salt reactors are described.

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Section: Iif Implications For Npp Requirementsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Liquid salt reactors include Fluoride-salt-cooled Hightemperature Reactors 1 (FHRs), Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs), and fusion systems with fluoride salt blankets. 2 MSRs (Ref.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Market Basis for Salt-Cooled Reactors: Dispatchable Heat, Hydrogen, and Electricity with Assured Peak Power Capacity

Forsberg

2020

Nuclear Technology

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“…The first of these high-magnetic-field fusion systems is being developed by Commonwealth Fusion Systems in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. One consequence of these developments is that these advanced fission and fusion systems are tightly coupled 11 in terms of salt coolant technology, tritium control, and power cycle development.…”

Section: Iia2 Salt-cooled Fusion Systemsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Heat-Pipe Heat Exchangers for Salt-Cooled Fission and Fusion Reactors to Avoid Salt Freezing and Control Tritium: A Review

2019

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The fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactor and some proposed fusion reactors use clean fluoride salts as reactor coolants that have melting points above 450°C and generate tritium. Tritium diffuses through most hot metals, thus methods to capture tritium and prevent its release to the environment are required. Molten salt reactors (MSRs) use fluoride or chloride salts with high melting points where the fuel is dissolved in the coolant. MSR systems produce volatile fission products (Xe, Kr, etc.) and some produce significant tritium. We examine the use of heat exchangers with multiple heat pipes for salt-cooled fission and fusion systems that serve four functions: (1) transfer heat from primary coolant to power cycle, secondary loop, or environment; (2) provide the safety function of a secondary loop by isolating the reactor salt coolant from the high-pressure power cycle; (3) stop heat transfer if the reactor coolant approaches its freezing point to prevent blockage of the primary loop; and (4) block tritium escape to the environment with recovery of the tritium. Each of these capabilities in some form has been demonstrated in a heat pipe system, but not all the functions have been demonstrated in a single system because there has been no need for all of these capabilities in a single system. We review the status of heat pipe technology and the limits of heat pipe technology as the starting points for decisions on the development of such heat pipe systems.

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“…2 Fluoride and chloride liquid salts are being investigated for use in fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactors (FHRs), molten salt reactors (MSRs), and fusion devices, as well as concentrated solar power systems. 3,4 However, limited experience with liquid-salt coolants requires further research.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Advancing Radiative Heat Transfer Modeling in High-Temperature Liquid Salts

Coyle

Baglietto

Forsberg

2020

Nuclear Science and Engineering

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Liquid salts have become more attractive as coolants for low-carbon power generation due to needs for high-temperature heat and affordable energy storage. Of particular interest are halide salts utilized in fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactors, molten salt reactors, and high-magnetic-field fusion machines, as well as in concentrated solar power systems. Because of their high-temperature operation and semitransparent nature, the liquid salts in these designs may experience the effects of participating media radiative heat transfer (RHT). While some work has been conducted on measuring the thermophysical properties of these fluids, there is currently very little known about their radiative properties. Here, we present the initial results of a two-part methodology to enhance RHT understanding and improve modeling in high-temperature liquid salts. First, an experimental apparatus designed to measure liquid chloride and fluoride salt absorption coefficients by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was completed and validated with water measurements. Second, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations were run to determine the contribution of thermal radiation to the overall heat transfer for flow between parallel plates. This geometry was used to verify code accuracy and investigate requirements for absorption coefficient spectral banding. Future work will be to complete halide salt absorption measurements and couple them to the established CFD methods to identify geometries and temperatures where RHT is significant and enable prediction of heat transfer in such systems.

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Fusion Blankets and Fluoride-Salt-Cooled High-Temperature Reactors with Flibe Salt Coolant: Common Challenges, Tritium Control, and Opportunities for Synergistic Development Strategies Between Fission, Fusion, and Solar Salt Technologies

Cited by 52 publications

References 45 publications

Market Basis for Salt-Cooled Reactors: Dispatchable Heat, Hydrogen, and Electricity with Assured Peak Power Capacity

Market Basis for Salt-Cooled Reactors: Dispatchable Heat, Hydrogen, and Electricity with Assured Peak Power Capacity

Heat-Pipe Heat Exchangers for Salt-Cooled Fission and Fusion Reactors to Avoid Salt Freezing and Control Tritium: A Review

Advancing Radiative Heat Transfer Modeling in High-Temperature Liquid Salts

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