Fuel Qualification for Molten Salt Reactors (NUREG/CR-7299, ORNL/TM-2022/2754)

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Publication Information

Manuscript Completed: July 2022
Date Published: December 2022

Prepared by:
D. Holcomb
W. Poore (Retired)
G. Flanagan

Oak Ridge National Laboratory
P.O. Box 2008
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6283

Christopher Van Wert, NRC Technical Lead
Richard Rivera, NRC Project Manager
Stewart Magruder, NRC Project Manager (Retired)

Prepared for:
Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington DC 20555-0001

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Abstract

This report supports the development and review of an efficient methodology or process for liquid salt fuel system qualification. The report describes the technical issues encountered when developing an adequate understanding of the fuel salt’s chemical and physical behavior under both normal and accident conditions. The concepts presented in this report align with the fundamental safety functions (FSFs) approach of the more general non-light water reactor (non-LWR) fuel qualification guidance provided in NUREG-2246. However, because liquid salt fuel has substantial technical differences from solid fuels, this report describes tailored approaches for achieving the common safety intents when using liquid salt.

The purpose of this report is to illustrate how variations in fuel salt properties impact achievement of FSFs at liquid-salt fueled molten salt reactors (MSRs). The focus on FSFs supports methodology compatibility with both current and developing licensing processes. Customized fuel qualification guidance for liquid salt–fueled Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) are also provided in this report to supplement the generic non-LWR guidance recently developed by the NRC. As with the broader non-LWR fuel qualification, this report focuses on identification and understanding of fuel life-limiting failure and fuel salt property degradation mechanisms that occur as a result of irradiation during reactor operation.