GB2526513A - Method to remove and process gaseous waste from a molten salt nuclear reactor - Google Patents

Method to remove and process gaseous waste from a molten salt nuclear reactor Download PDF

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Publication number
GB2526513A
GB2526513A GB1404976.1A GB201404976A GB2526513A GB 2526513 A GB2526513 A GB 2526513A GB 201404976 A GB201404976 A GB 201404976A GB 2526513 A GB2526513 A GB 2526513A
Authority
GB
United Kingdom
Prior art keywords
fuel
reactor
salt
molten salt
fission product
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
GB1404976.1A
Other versions
GB201404976D0 (en
Inventor
Ian Richard Scott
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to GB1404976.1A priority Critical patent/GB2526513A/en
Publication of GB201404976D0 publication Critical patent/GB201404976D0/en
Priority to CN201580014763.4A priority patent/CN106133844B/en
Priority to PCT/GB2015/050485 priority patent/WO2015140495A1/en
Priority to CA2943269A priority patent/CA2943269C/en
Priority to RU2016139002A priority patent/RU2666787C2/en
Priority to KR1020167029029A priority patent/KR102286979B1/en
Priority to US15/126,499 priority patent/US9837173B2/en
Priority to EP15708256.1A priority patent/EP3120361B1/en
Publication of GB2526513A publication Critical patent/GB2526513A/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
    • G21C—NUCLEAR REACTORS
    • G21C3/00—Reactor fuel elements and their assemblies; Selection of substances for use as reactor fuel elements
    • G21C3/02—Fuel elements
    • G21C3/24—Fuel elements with fissile or breeder material in fluid form within a non-active casing
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
    • G21C—NUCLEAR REACTORS
    • G21C1/00—Reactor types
    • G21C1/04—Thermal reactors ; Epithermal reactors
    • G21C1/06—Heterogeneous reactors, i.e. in which fuel and moderator are separated
    • G21C1/22—Heterogeneous reactors, i.e. in which fuel and moderator are separated using liquid or gaseous fuel
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
    • G21C—NUCLEAR REACTORS
    • G21C3/00—Reactor fuel elements and their assemblies; Selection of substances for use as reactor fuel elements
    • G21C3/02—Fuel elements
    • G21C3/04—Constructional details
    • G21C3/041—Means for removal of gases from fuel elements
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
    • G21F—PROTECTION AGAINST X-RADIATION, GAMMA RADIATION, CORPUSCULAR RADIATION OR PARTICLE BOMBARDMENT; TREATING RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED MATERIAL; DECONTAMINATION ARRANGEMENTS THEREFOR
    • G21F9/00—Treating radioactively contaminated material; Decontamination arrangements therefor
    • G21F9/02—Treating gases
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G21—NUCLEAR PHYSICS; NUCLEAR ENGINEERING
    • G21C—NUCLEAR REACTORS
    • G21C3/00—Reactor fuel elements and their assemblies; Selection of substances for use as reactor fuel elements
    • G21C3/42—Selection of substances for use as reactor fuel
    • G21C3/44—Fluid or fluent reactor fuel
    • G21C3/54—Fused salt, oxide or hydroxide compositions
    • Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
    • Y02E30/00—Energy generation of nuclear origin
    • Y02E30/30—Nuclear fission reactors

Landscapes

  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • High Energy & Nuclear Physics (AREA)
  • Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
  • Structure Of Emergency Protection For Nuclear Reactors (AREA)

Abstract

The disposal of gaseous fission products from the fuel tubes of a molten salt reactor may be deferred until the fuel tubes are removed from the reactor for replacement and reprocessing provided the rate of evolution of said gases, the available gas space above the fuel salt and the strength of the fuel tube wall allow the safe accumulation of said gases for the planned life of the fuel tube. For reactors not meeting the above criteria, however, each fuel tube may be pierced or perforated at one or more points above the level of the fuel salt therein, and above the level of a surrounding coolant within the reactor, so that fission product gases can escape into the gas space within the reactor tank. The gaseous fission products may then be collected from the reactor by continually purging said gas space with a circulating stream of helium gas.

Description

I
METHOD TO REMOVE AND PROCESS GASEOUS WASTE FROM A MOLTEN SALT
NUCLEAR REACTOR
BACKGROUND
A novel design for a molten salt based nuclear reactor was disclosed in UK application number 1402908.6 entitled "A practical molten salt fission reactor". The basis for the design was to place the molten salt fissile material in static tubes from which heat was transferred to a coolant liquid by a combination of conduction and convection.
In that reactor, volatile fission products, primarily noNe gasses. were allowed to bubble out of the molten fuel salt and were collected from the top of the tubes containing the fuel salt and piped away for collection and disposal.
That system. while perfectly practical, does result in a complex network of collection tubes above the reactor. It has now been discovered that there are less compkx alternatives to that complex system.
DESCRIPTION
Disposal of gaseous waste from the fuel tubes in the molten salt reactor can be deferred until (he 1ue tubes are removed from the reactor lhr replacement and reprocessing providing the combination of the rate of evolution of the gasses, the available gas space above (he fuel salt and the strength of the fuel tube wall allow safe accumulation of the gasses for the planned life of the fuel tube. In this instance the fud tube is sealed at the top. This option will he particularly suitable for reactors operating at relatively low power levels and hence producing noble gasses at relatively low rates.
For reactors not meeting the criteria above, where the gasses cannot he allowed safely to accumulate without producing unsafe pressures within the fuel tube, each fuel tube can be pierced at one or more points above that reached by the coolant liquid and above the level of the fuel salt but below the lid of the reactor. The fission waste gasses then accumulate within the empty space of the fuel tube within which most short lived radioactive gasses decay to non volatile dements. As pressure builds up, the gasses pass out through the piereings of the fuel tube into the gas space within the reactor tank, above the coolant liquid hut below the reactor lid.
That gas space can optionally be continually purged by a stream of gas, preferably helium, which carries the fission gasses out of the reactor tank to a collection system from which the circulating helium is returned to (he reactir tank. Very small amounts of the fission product gasses decay to other elements while they arc in the gas space at the top of the tank and those may be captured in the coolant liquid.

Claims (3)

  1. CLAIMS1) A method to manage fission product gaseous waste from a molten salt nuclear reactor where the fissile fuel salt is held in static fuel tubes comprising sealing said fuel tubes at the top and accumulating fission product gasses throughout the life of the fuel tube.
  2. 2) A method to manage fission product gaseous waste from a molten salt nuclear reactor where the fissile fuel salt is held in static fuel tubes comprising sealing the top of the fuel tube and perforating the fuel tube one or more times at a point above the level of the fuel salt.
  3. 3) The method of claim 2 where the perforations in the fuel tube allow fission product gasses to pass into a gas filled space within the reactor tank 4) The method of claim 3 where the gas space within the reactor tank is filled with a noble gas which is continually processed to remove fission product gasses.
GB1404976.1A 2014-03-20 2014-03-20 Method to remove and process gaseous waste from a molten salt nuclear reactor Withdrawn GB2526513A (en)

Priority Applications (8)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1404976.1A GB2526513A (en) 2014-03-20 2014-03-20 Method to remove and process gaseous waste from a molten salt nuclear reactor
CN201580014763.4A CN106133844B (en) 2014-03-20 2015-02-19 Chemistry optimization in fusedsalt reactor
PCT/GB2015/050485 WO2015140495A1 (en) 2014-03-20 2015-02-19 Chemical optimisation in a molten salt reactor
CA2943269A CA2943269C (en) 2014-03-20 2015-02-19 Chemical optimisation in a molten salt reactor
RU2016139002A RU2666787C2 (en) 2014-03-20 2015-02-19 Chemical optimization in the nuclear reactor on molten salts
KR1020167029029A KR102286979B1 (en) 2014-03-20 2015-02-19 Chemical optimisation in a molten salt reactor
US15/126,499 US9837173B2 (en) 2014-03-20 2015-02-19 Chemical optimisation in a molten salt reactor
EP15708256.1A EP3120361B1 (en) 2014-03-20 2015-02-19 Chemical optimisation in a molten salt reactor

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
GB1404976.1A GB2526513A (en) 2014-03-20 2014-03-20 Method to remove and process gaseous waste from a molten salt nuclear reactor

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
GB201404976D0 GB201404976D0 (en) 2014-05-07
GB2526513A true GB2526513A (en) 2015-12-02

Family

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
GB1404976.1A Withdrawn GB2526513A (en) 2014-03-20 2014-03-20 Method to remove and process gaseous waste from a molten salt nuclear reactor

Country Status (1)

Country Link
GB (1) GB2526513A (en)

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2014010022A (en) * 2012-06-29 2014-01-20 Hitachi-Ge Nuclear Energy Ltd Fuel assembly, and nuclear reactor core
GB2508537A (en) * 2013-02-25 2014-06-04 Ian Richard Scott A molten salt fission reactor

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JP2014010022A (en) * 2012-06-29 2014-01-20 Hitachi-Ge Nuclear Energy Ltd Fuel assembly, and nuclear reactor core
GB2508537A (en) * 2013-02-25 2014-06-04 Ian Richard Scott A molten salt fission reactor

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
GB201404976D0 (en) 2014-05-07

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
WAP Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1)