Fuel cycle and neutronic performance of a spectral shift molten salt reactor design

Abstract

The fuel cycle performance and core design of the Transatomic Power liquid-fueled molten salt reactor concept is analyzed. This advanced reactor concept uses configurable zirconium hydride moderator rod assemblies to shift the neutron spectrum in the core from intermediate at beginning of life to thermal at end of life. With a harder spectrum during the early years of reactor operation, this spectral shift design drives captures in fertile 238U. The converted fissile plutonium makes up over 50% of the fissile material in the fuel salt over the last half (∼15 years) of reactor operation. A softer spectrum late in reactor life helps drive the fuel to a burnup of 90 GWd/MTU. Continuously changing physics necessitates time-dependent analyses resolved over long timescales (i.e., months to years), as this concept does not meet an equilibrium condition. The spectral shift and molten salt reactor material feeds and removals enable this concept to perform better in fuel cycle metrics, increasing resource utilization by more than 50% compared with a typical light water reactor (i.e., from ∼0.6% to ∼1%). These metrics are compared to similar fuel cycles using alternate technologies. Additional core design and analysis challenges associated with the spectral shift and use of molten salt reactor technology are identified and discussed.