DOI QR코드

DOI QR Code

Core design study of the Wielenga Innovation Static Salt Reactor (WISSR)

  • T. Wielenga (Wielenga Innovation Foundation, Inc) ;
  • W.S. Yang (University of Michigan) ;
  • I. Khaleb (University of Michigan)
  • Received : 2023.06.01
  • Accepted : 2023.11.06
  • Published : 2024.03.25

Abstract

This paper presents the design features and preliminary design analysis results of the Wielenga Innovation Static Salt Reactor (WISSR). The WISSR incorporates features that make it both flexible and inherently safe. It is based on innovative technology that controls a nuclear reactor by moving molten salt fuel into or out of the core. The reactor is a low-pressure, fast spectrum transuranic (TRU) burner reactor. Inherent shutdown is achieved by a large negative reactivity feedback of the liquid fuel and by the expansion of fuel out of the core. The core is made of concentric, thin annular fuel chambers containing molten fuel salt. A molten salt coolant passes between the concentric fuel chambers to cool the core. The core has both fixed and variable volume fuel chambers. Pressure, applied by helium gas to fuel reservoirs below the core, pushes fuel out of a reservoir and up into a set of variable volume chambers. A control system monitors the density and temperature of the fuel throughout the core. Using NaCl-(TRU,U)Cl3 fuel and NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 coolant, a road-transportable compact WISSR core design was developed at a power level of 1250 MWt. Preliminary neutronics and thermal-hydraulics analyses demonstrate the technical feasibility of WISSR.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors are grateful to Dr. Albert Hsieh at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for his help with initial neutronics calculations and Mr. Aaron Huxford and Ohwang Kwon at the University of Michigan for their help with initial CFD and OpenMC calculations, respectively. This project was partially funded by the Wielenga Innovation Foundation, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation. Further results including calculations and studies may be found at their website: WiFound.org.

References

  1. S. Bourg, Molten salt reactor, in: Gen-IV International Forum 2021 Annual Report 2021, 2021. 
  2. World Nuclear Association, "Molten Salt Reactors," https://world-nuclear.org/information-library/current-and-future-generation/molten-salt-reactors.aspx, January 20, 2023.. 
  3. T.J. Dolan (Ed.), Molten Salt Reactors and Thorium Energy, Woodhead Publishing, Elsevier Science, 2017. 
  4. I. Scott, in: T.J. Dolan (Ed.), Static Liquid Fuel Reactors," Molten Salt Reactors and Thorium Energy, Woodhead Publishing, Elsevier Science, 2017. 
  5. I. Scott, S. Newton, The Waste-Burning Stable Salt Reactor, Nuclear Engineering International, March 2022. 
  6. M. Taube, J. Lizou, "Molten Chlorides Fast Breeder Reactor Problems and Possibilities," EIR-Bericht Nr, vol. 215, Swiss Federal Institute for Reactor Research, 1972. 
  7. M. Taube, "Fast Reactors Using Molten Chloride Salts as Fuel," EIR-Bericht Nr, vol. 332, Swiss Federal Institute for Reactor Research, 1978. 
  8. O. Benes, R.J.M. Konings, Thermodynamic evaluation of the NaCl-MgCl2-UCl3-PuCl3 system, J. Nucl. Mater. 375 (2008) 202-208.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2008.01.007
  9. C.-H. Lee, Private Communication, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, 2022. 
  10. J. Busby, et al., "Technical Gap Assessment for Materials and Component Integrity Issues for Molten Salt Reactors," ORNL/SPR-2019/1089, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2019. 
  11. P.K. Romano, et al., OpenMC: a state-ofthe-art Monte Carlo code for research and development, Ann. Nucl. Energy 82 (2015) 90-97.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2014.07.048
  12. M.B. Chadwick, et al., ENDF/B-VIII.0: the 8th major release of the nuclear reaction data library with CIELO-project cross sections, new standards and thermal scattering data, Nucl. Data Sheets 148 (2018) 1-142.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nds.2018.02.001
  13. Siemens Industries Digital Software, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, version 202X.Y, Siemens, 2022. 
  14. J. Mochinaga, et al., Densities and Equivalent Conductivities of Fused UCl3-NaCl and UCl3-KCl-NaCl (e.m.) Systems, Denki Kagaku 37 (1969) 654. 
  15. V.N. Desyatnik, et al., Density, surface tension, and viscosity of uranium trichloride - sodium chloride melts, At. Energ. 39 (1) (1975) 70. 
  16. G.J. Janz, et al., Molten salts: volume 4, part 2, chlorides and mixtures-electrical conductance, density, viscosity, and surface tension data, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data 4 (1975) 871. 
  17. V.N. Desyatnik, et al., Physicochemical properties of melts comprising mixtures of uranium tetrachloride with the chlorides of alkali metals, At. Energ. 42 (2) (1977) 99. 
  18. S.F. Katyshev, Yu F. Chervinskii, V.N. Desyatnik, Density and viscosity of fused mixtures of uranium chlorides and potassium chloride, At. Energ. 53 (No. 2) (1982) 108-109.  https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01122100
  19. David E. Holcomb, Sacit M. Cetiner, An Overview of Liquid-Fluoride-Salt Heat Transport Systems, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 2010. ORNL/TM-2010/156. 
  20. X. Wang, et al., Thermophysical properties experimentally tested for NaCl-KCl-MgCl2 eutectic molten salt as a next generation high temperature HTF in CSP systems, 041005-1, J. Sol. Energy Eng. 143 (2021). 
  21. T. Hua, et al., Transient modeling and simulation of a generic stable salt reactor, Washington D.C, in: Proc. Of NURETH-20, August 20-25, 2023, 2023. 
  22. W. Ding, A. Bonk, T. Bauer, Molten chloride salts for next generation CSP plants: selection of promising chloride salts & study on corrosion of alloys in molten chloride salts, AIP Conf. Proc. 2126 (2019), 200014. 
  23. Q. Gong, H. Shi, Y. Chai, R. Yu, A. Weisenburger, D. Wang, A. Bonk, T. Bauer, W. Ding, Molten chloride salt technology for next-generation CSP plants: compatibility of Fe-based alloys with purified molten MgCl2-KCl-NaCl salt at 700 ℃, Appl. Energy 324 (2022), 119708. 
  24. W. Ding, H. Shi, A. Jianu, Y. Xiu, A. Bonk, A. Weisenburge, T. Bauer, Molten chloride salts for next generation concentrated solar power plants: mitigation strategies against corrosion of structural materials, Sol. Energy Mater. Sol. Cell. 193 (2019) 298-313.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2018.12.020
  25. P. Domstedt, Development of Alumina Forming Alloys for High-Temperature Energy Applications, Ph.D. Dissertation, KTH royal Institute of Technology, 2021.