Molten salt reactor waste and effluent management strategies: A review

Riley, Brian J.; McFarlane, Joanna; DelCul, Guillermo Daniel; Vienna, John D.; Contescu, Cristian I.; Forsberg, Charles W.

doi:10.1016/j.nucengdes.2019.02.002

Cited by 84 publications

(90 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…There are other purification options including distillation. 38 Distillation was experimentally investigated for flibe salt in the 1970s for online purification of MSR salts and looked potentially attractive. However, with the existing 1970s materials of construction, the only option was vacuum distillation, which is a low-throughput process with limited separation capabilities.…”

Section: Vc Corrosionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2019

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Recent developments in high-magnetic-field fusion systems have created large incentives to develop flibe (Li 2 BeF 4) salt fusion blankets that have four functions: (1) convert the high energy of fusion neutrons into heat for the power system, (2) convert lithium into tritium-the fusion fuel, (3) shield the magnets against radiation, and (4) cool the first wall that separates the plasma from the salt blanket. Flibe is the same coolant proposed for fluoride-salt-cooled high-temperature reactors that use clean flibe coolant and graphite-matrix coated-particle fuel. Flibe is also the coolant proposed for some molten salt reactors (MSRs) where the fuel is dissolved in the coolant. The multiple applications for flibe as a coolant create large incentives for cooperative fusion-fission programs for development of the underlying science, design tools, technology (pumps, instrumentation, salt purification, materials, tritium removal, etc.), and supply chains. Other high-temperature molten salts are being developed for alternative MSR systems and for advanced Gen-III concentrated solar power (CSP) systems. The overlapping characteristics of flibe salt with these other salt systems create significant incentives for cooperative fusion-fission-solar programs in multiple areas. We describe the fission and fusion flibe-cooled systems, what has created this synergism, what is different and the same between fission and fusion in terms of using flibe, and the common challenges. We review (1) the characteristics of flibe salts, (2) the status of the technology, (3) the options for tritium capture and control in the salt, heat exchangers, and secondary heat transfer loops, and (4) the coupling to power cycles with heat storage. The technology overlap between flibe systems and other high-temperature MSR and CSP salt systems is described. This defines where there are opportunities for cooperative programs across fission, fusion, and CSP salt programs.

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Section: Vc Corrosionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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

et al. 2019

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“…Molten salt reactors (MSRs) are one of the most promising designs of Generation‐IV nuclear reactors and the technology is being investigated worldwide. MSRs use high boiling point, low viscosity molten salt as a coolant and/or fuel to dissolve the fissile and fertile fuel, providing high thermal efficiency, and reduction in reactor size, expense, and environmental impact 1,2 . Different waste streams arise from operating MSRs and these include an off‐gas stream, salt waste streams, metal waste streams, and carbon waste streams, and available strategies for their management were recently reviewed 1 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…MSRs use high boiling point, low viscosity molten salt as a coolant and/or fuel to dissolve the fissile and fertile fuel, providing high thermal efficiency, and reduction in reactor size, expense, and environmental impact 1,2 . Different waste streams arise from operating MSRs and these include an off‐gas stream, salt waste streams, metal waste streams, and carbon waste streams, and available strategies for their management were recently reviewed 1 . Salt waste streams can be categorized into unseparated and separated salt streams where some fraction could potentially be recycled back into the MSR system 1 ; however, some remaining fraction will require disposal.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Different waste streams arise from operating MSRs and these include an off‐gas stream, salt waste streams, metal waste streams, and carbon waste streams, and available strategies for their management were recently reviewed 1 . Salt waste streams can be categorized into unseparated and separated salt streams where some fraction could potentially be recycled back into the MSR system 1 ; however, some remaining fraction will require disposal. Therefore, the immobilization of salt waste streams by incorporation into a durable wasteform is required for the sustainability of the MSR concept, and common wasteform options include glasses, ceramics, glass ceramics, glass composites, ceramic‐metal composites 1 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Salt waste streams can be categorized into unseparated and separated salt streams where some fraction could potentially be recycled back into the MSR system 1 ; however, some remaining fraction will require disposal. Therefore, the immobilization of salt waste streams by incorporation into a durable wasteform is required for the sustainability of the MSR concept, and common wasteform options include glasses, ceramics, glass ceramics, glass composites, ceramic‐metal composites 1 . Typically, chloride‐based or fluoride‐based salts, such as LiF 2 ‐BeF 2 (or FLiBe), NaF–ZrF, LiF–NaF‐KF (or FLiNaK), are widely utilized in the MSR system, which eventually end up in the MSR operational salt‐based waste stream.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Hot Isostatically Pressed (HIPed) fluorite glass‐ceramic wasteforms for fluoride molten salt wastes

et al. 2020

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Molten pyroprocessing salts can be used to dissolve used nuclear fuel from a reactor allowing recovery of the actinides. Previously, ANSTO have demonstrated hot isostatically pressed (HIPed) sodalite glass‐ceramic wasteforms for eutectic (Li,K)Cl salts containing fission products, but this system cannot be used for the analogous molten alkali fluoride salts (eg, FLiNaK), which have utility in the application of the next generation of nuclear reactors. In this work, a novel glass‐ceramic composite wasteform has been prepared by HIPing, as a candidate for the immobilization of fission product‐bearing FLiNaK salts. The wasteform has been tailored to immobilize the high fluoride content of the waste within fluorite, whereas the waste alkali elements are incorporated in a durable sodium aluminoborosilicate glass, with total waste loadings of ~17‐21 wt% achieved. It was also demonstrated that the speciation of Mo‐ and Sb‐simulated fission products was altered by adding Ti metal due to a controlled redox environment. The resulting candidate wasteform has been studied by X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, including the HIP canister‐wasteform interaction zone, and its performance assessed via leaching studies using the PCT and ASTM C1220 leaching protocols. Dr Vance very much enjoyed the challenge of wasteform design for problematic nuclear wastes, for which fission product‐bearing FLiNaK salts are a clear example. His ability to hone in on a wasteform solution with viable waste loadings that meet performance requirements was testament to his nearly 40 years experience in nuclear waste immobilization. The samples discussed in this work represent the last wasteform materials that he prepared.

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2019

Nuclear Power

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Molten salt reactor waste and effluent management strategies: A review

Cited by 84 publications

References 97 publications

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

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

Hot Isostatically Pressed (HIPed) fluorite glass‐ceramic wasteforms for fluoride molten salt wastes

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