Molten Salt Reactor Advantages
(Scroll to see all) Molten Fuel; Salt Cooled; Inherent Safety; Easy Construction & Siting; Lower Cost; Industrial Heat
- Molten Fuel - Fuel circulates through the reactor, fission products get removed, for over 99% fuel use (vs. LWR ~3%). No long-term radioactive waste.
- Salt Cooled - Coolant far below boiling point, so reactor operates near atmospheric pressure. Molten fuel chemically bound to stable salt; and no water; so no loss of coolant accident possible. No need for high-pressure safety systems.
- High Inherent Safety - No water, no high pressure, nothing that could propel radioactive materials into the environment. Thermal expansion/contraction of molten fuel-salt strongly regulates fission rate; MSR is a very stable reactor. Simple safety systems work even if no electricity or operators.
- Easy Construction and Siting - Low pressure operation, so no high-pressure safety systems. No water, so no steam containment building, no need for a river. Fuel salt quickly cools to solid, doesn't dissolve in water, can't spread in environment. Reactor and all eqipment would be factory assembled, with modern quality control, sensors and communication.
- Lower Cost - Even with exotic materials, construction costs will be dramatically lower than LWR — factory construction, minimal manual on-site preparation. No long-term radioactive waste, so no long-term storage.
- High Temperature Operation - Heat to generate electricity, desalinate water, produce CO2-neutral vehicle fuel, make cement or fertilizer, and other industrial uses.