Merk, Bruno 
ORCID: 0000-0002-9811-4860, Detkina, Anna ORCID: 0000-0002-0693-9225, Litskevich, Dzianis ORCID: 0000-0002-3207-3058, Drury, Michael, Noori-kalkhoran, Omid, Cartland-Glover, Gregory, Petit, Leon, Rolfo, Stefano, Elliott, Justin P and Mount, Andrew R
(2022)
Defining the Challenges-Identifying the Key Poisoning Elements to Be Separated in a Future Integrated Molten Salt Fast Reactor Clean-Up System for iMAGINE
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL, 12 (9).
p. 4124.
ISSN 2076-3417, 2076-3417
Abstract
Nuclear fission technologies have the potential to play a significant role in the energy mix of a net‐zero and sustainable society. However, to achieve the sustainability goal two significant challenges remain: efficient and sustainable fuel usage and the minimization of long‐term nuclear waste. Civil nuclear molten salt systems and technologies offer the opportunity to address both, delivering future reactors at scale for efficient and effective power production and nuclear waste burnup. Potentially, both objectives could be fulfilled in one reactor system, which could significantly improve sustainability indices. The key to this innovation is demand driven development of a significantly reduced fuel cycle with enhanced proliferation resistance which offers further potential for improvement. To achieve these goals, a transformative approach for salt clean‐up during molten salt reactor operation is proposed, by concentrating on the detection and removal of key neutron poisoning elements which prevent the reactor from long‐term operation. To enable this highly innovative development work, a novel analysis of the evolving elementary fuel composition, their concentrations, and their criticality influence is now provided in this work. This, combined with consideration of the oxidation states of each of these elements then provides the basis for the selection of these key poisons and the development of advanced separation processes and process monitoring. This work also discusses the importance of the effective integration of physics and chemistry when systems modelling in achieving these system development goals.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | modeling and simulation, molten salt reactors, nuclear, nuclear experiments, nuclear reactors, reactor physics, zero-power reactors |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Science & Engineering > School of Engineering |
| Depositing User: | Symplectic Admin |
| Date Deposited: | 13 Jun 2022 09:04 |
| Last Modified: | 24 Jan 2026 03:38 |
| DOI: | 10.3390/app12094124 |
| Open Access URL: | https://doi.org/10.3390/app12094124 |
| Related Websites: | |
| URI: | https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/id/eprint/3156370 |
| Disclaimer: | The University of Liverpool is not responsible for content contained on other websites from links within repository metadata. Please contact us if you notice anything that appears incorrect or inappropriate. |
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