May 24, 2011 kirk gave a brief overview of molten salt reactors msr and specifically liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr. Lftr lftr or liquid fluoride thorium reactor is a safer, cleaner, and more efficient nuclear reactor. The drawback is that additional investment in liquidtogas heat. Flibe energy liquid flouride thorium reactor company. Due to the fact that there is a flowing molten salt, the device does have to be kept quite hot, and many of the salts in the molten salt blanket are quite viscous right around their melting point.
October 8, 2018, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the operation of the moltensalt reactor experiment msre using uranium233 as a fuel. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor, no risk of loss of coolant accidents, no longterm nuclear waste can even consume waste from. I have no qualms in trying to campaign for uk manufacture of lftrs and if any of you feel so inclined, make it happen here by voting on 38degrees, the campaigning website and search for uk manufacture of liquid fluoride thorium reactors. Maybe we can have them become interested in molten salt reactors such as liquid fluoride thorium reactor to provide power all the time, or all the time solarwind are not generating enough, replacing coal and oil. On page 9 it states that the high temperature of operation of the liquid fluoride thorium reactor enables electrolysis of hydrogen. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison with light water reactor aip, free pdf access. High efficiency nuclear power plants using liquid fluoride. It is fueled by the uranium233 isotope that is taken from the element thorium. Thorium is weakly radioactive, has a high melting point, and is available with more abundance than uranium as an element. Apr 29, 2015 liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is an innovative design for the thermal breeder reactor that has important potential benefits over the traditional reactor design. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison with light water reactor conference paper pdf available november 2014 with 1,333 reads how we measure reads. The goal here is to present the basics of a lftr design and the inherent advantages and problems with such a design. The liquid effluent from solvent extraction contains radioactive thorium th231 and th234.
A significant advantage of using thorium to breed u233 is that relatively little plutonium is produced from the th232 because six more neutron absorptions are required than is the case with u238. Flibe energy has worked to advance the technology for liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftrs since its incorporation in april 2011. Molten salt reactors are generation iv nuclear fission reactors that use molten salt as either the primary reactor coolant or as the fuel itself. Thorium reactors, though, use different fuels and a fundamentally different design. The idea of a liquidfuel nuclear reac tor is not new. Update on the liquid fluoride thorium reactor projects in. Lftrs have distinct safety, environmental, and economic advantages over uraniumbased and solidfuel nuclear power.
Molten salt reactors msrs represent a class of reactors that use liquid salt, usually fluoride based or chloride based, as either a coolant with a solid fuel such as fluoride saltcooled hightemperature reactors or as a combined coolant and fuel with the fuel dissolved in a carrier salt. The first fuel was a highenriched 33% u235 uranium dissolved as uf4 in a. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor fuel is dissolved in liquid. Kirk sorensen presented an introduction to flibe energy at the thorium energy conference 2011 55 pages flibe energy will initially design, develop and demonstrate a small modular liquidfluoride thorium reactor smlftr for the us military. They melt down salts for fuel and then use that molten liquid to start the reaction that makes power. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr offers promise for the future. Alternatively, sign the epetition on the hm government website. A molten salt reactor msr is a class of generation iv nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear reactor coolant, or even the fuel itself, is a molten salt mixture. Thorium and uranium233 are dissolved in molten lithium fluoride salt in the reactor. Solution manual nuclear reactor analysis nuclear reactor analysis solution manual pdf liquid fluoride thorium reactor desings. Reports related to homogenous core fluid fluoride reactors ffrs of type mosel.
Pdf advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr public group facebook. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor blue ribbon commission. Can use lftrs to consume nuclear waste molten salt reactors.
This invention uses an ion exchange process to remove and concentrate the thorium. Lftr technology, argonne national laboratory, illinois 20180521. Its objectives for modular reactor design and its plans for manufacturing and deployment of these reactors will be described. Liquid fluoride thorium reactors an old idea in nuclear power gets reexamined robert hargraves and ralph moir what if we could turn back the clock to 1965 and have an energy doover. They should not be confused with molten saltcooled high temperature reactors fluoride hightemperature. Traditionally, in lwr, water had to cool down the solid fuel since it couldnt handle the high temperatures because of high pressure, which had always been a fine line behind meltdowns sorensen, 2011. Optional offshore submarine installation of the power plant is a major consideration. Much of their work culminated with the moltensalt reactor experiment msre. Temperature gas reactor htgr or gas turbine modular helium reactor gtmhr baxi, 2006, 2009 refer to the directly cbc systems, while cbc energy conversion via the very high temperature reactor vhtr, msrmolten salt reactor, or lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactor refer to indirectly heated cycles. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoridebased, molten, liquid salt for fuel.
I would like to have some idea of how the system would react to such changes in nuclear geometry. This is a dual program involving an early solid fuel stream and advanced liquid fuel stream wna, 2015c. The generation iv reactor designs are attempts to do just that. Thorium reactors liquid fluoride thorium reactor desings fusion reactors bubble column reactors, the physics of nuclear reactors. In general, a nuclear reactor is a key device of nuclear power plants, nuclear research facilities or nuclear propelled ships. Should we consider using liquid fluoride thorium reactors. Moltensaltfueled reactors msrs supply the nuclear fuel in the form of a molten salt mixture. An investigation into liquid fluoride thorium reactors. First new thorium salt reactor in 40 years comes online. There is a great deal of useful information in this document. Kirk gave a brief overview of molten salt reactors msr and specifically liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr. The process is designed so that the thorium remains on the ion exchange column until it decays to uranium and protactinium.
Why didnt this happen and why is now the right time. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor page 4 physics forums. The first fuel was a highenriched 33% u235 uranium dissolved as uf4 in a lifbef2zrf4 salt. Aim high thorium energy cheaper than from coal solves. Promotes the use of thorium as a safer, less expensive, and simpler form of energy generation than uranium reactors. Thus, this paper seeks to critically examine these claims and exhaustively analyze the differences between thorium plants in particular liquid fluoride thorium reactors, or lftrs and traditional uranium plants. There is a viable option to replace current nuclear technology. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is an innovative design for the thermal breeder reactor that has important potential benefits over the traditional reactor design. In 2004, the molten salt reactor system steering committee msrssc was established under the generation iv international forum gif to conduct research and studies on msr technologies that utilize thorium in the composition of a mixed liquid salt fuel serp and et al. Lftr is fluoride based liquid fuel, that use the thorium dissolved in salt mixture of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride. Most common nuclear reactors are light water reactors lwr, that are based on the uranium fuel cycle and use an enriched uranium fuel 4% of u235 as a. A thorium reactor is a form of nuclear energy, proposed for use as a molten salt reactor. These decay products are subsequently replaced by additional thorium. Download pdf molten salt reactors and thorium energy.
In 20, the national energy administration included the tmsr project among the 25 national energy major. Therefore, lftr technology is fundamentally different from the solid fuel technology currently in use. Temperature gas reactor htgr or gas turbine modular helium reactor gtmhr baxi, 2006, 2009 refer to the directly cbc systems, while cbc energy conversion via the very high temperature reactor vhtr, msrmolten salt reactor, or lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactor refer to. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr has 3,414 members. Aka molten salt reactors msr, or liquid fluoride thorium. Pdf advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in. The lftr is unique, having a hot liquid core thus eliminating fuel fabrication costs and the. Lif and bef 2 excellent heat transfer continuous chemical processing atmospheric pressure room temp solid. Heat from the reactor is transferred to another loop of molten salt not containing nuclear materials. Comparative neutronics analysis of mcnp6 code with srac95 reactor analysis code based on fujiu30. U233 is a superior nuclear fuel, producing enough neutrons through its fission. To view or download each speakers presentation in pdf format, please click on any of the titles below.
In a large pool of thorium fluoride gradually transmuting to u233, it seems at least possible for gradients to form with potentially quite different fuel concentrations and compositions. Lftr disadvantages liquid fluoride thorium reactors. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoridebased, molten, liquid salt for fuel moltensaltfueled reactors msrs supply the nuclear fuel in the form of a molten salt mixture. The hanzehogeschool is advised to continue research into this technology. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor page 3 physics forums. Thorium is usually thrown away during the process of mining rareearth metals. The lftr is a type of thorium molten salt reactor tmsr. Desired first demonstration at a military site to be determined. This paper will focus on the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr design, an implementation of one such gen iv idea, the molten salt reactor. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoride based, molten, liquid salt for fuel. Thorium reactors liquid fluoride thorium reactor desings fusion reactors bubble column reactors.
Is thorium the fuel of the future to revitalize nuclear. In june of that year, the mol ten salt reactor experiment msre achieved criticality for the first time at oak ridge national laboratory ornl in tennessee. In a msr, the nuclear fuel, the so called fissile isotope, is. Modular nuclear reactor design solution manual nuclear reactor analysis nuclear reactor analysis solution manual pdf liquid fluoride thorium reactor desings. Liquid fuel molten salt reactors for thorium utilization. Half of the time was spent fielding questions from the calgary students. Thorium fuel cycle potential benefits and challenges. At the dawn of the nuclear industry, the united states manhattan project developed the atomic bomb, or real two models of atomic bombs, one using uranium 235 and one using plutonium 239. Gram per gram, thorium is much more efficient than uranium, as around 99% of it is used in the reaction. Library of pdf documents, a discussion forum, an overview of the process, and a link to a related blog. The drawback is that additional investment in liquid togas heat. Should we consider using liquid fluoride thorium reactors for. Flibe energy has worked to advance the technology for liquidfluoride thorium reactors lftrs since its incorporation in april 2011.
The initial enthusiasm on thorium fuels and fuel cycles was not sustained among the developing countries later, due to new discovery of uranium deposits and their improved availability. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison. First, i think he means electrolysis of water in order to produce hydrogen, and second the availability of electricity from any source would permit electrolysis, and at more or less any temperature you wished. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoridebased, molten. Since the carrier of thorium is a liquid, liquid fluoride, it allows standard pressure at igh temperatures. Main purpose of the nuclear reactor is to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. The first experiment is on a setup called a moltensalt fast reactor, which burns thorium salt and in theory should also be able to consume spent nuclear fuel from typical uranium fission reactions. Aug 08, 2011 in a large pool of thorium fluoride gradually transmuting to u233, it seems at least possible for gradients to form with potentially quite different fuel concentrations and compositions. Can use lftrs to consume nuclear waste molten salt.
Oak ridge national laboratory ornl took the lead in researching msrs through the 1960s. Kirk sorensen presented an introduction to flibe energy at the thorium energy conference 2011 55 pages flibe energy will initially design, develop and demonstrate a small modular liquid fluoride thorium reactor smlftr for the us military. As fission occurs, heat and neutrons are released from the core and absorbed by the surrounding salt. Aim high thorium energy cheaper than from coal solves more. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr design by flibe energy is a graphitemoderated, thermalspectrum reactor with solutions of liquid fluoride salts containing both fissile and fertile materials. Molten salt reactors incl liquid fluoride thorium reactor. First, thorium 232 and uranium233 are added to fluoride salts in the reactor core.
Download pdf molten salt reactors and thorium energy free. A liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is a type of molten salt reactor msr that can use inexpensive thorium for fuel thorium becomes uranium inside the reactor. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr simply too dangerous. Now what with ryan duffy covers some of the innovative things people are doing about some of the worlds largest problems. As fission radioactive decay occurs, heat is released and free neutrons start changing more thorium into uranium233. A slightly different type of msr can consume the uraniumplutonium waste from solidfueled reactors as fuel. The liquid flouride thorium reactor lftr solution youtube. Liquidfluoride thorium reactor development strategy. The liquid flouride thorium reactor lftr solution sam packard. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is a promising, innovative reactor design that uses liquid instead of solid fuel, and thorium instead of uranium, giving it considerable benefits over traditional uraniumfuelled light water reactors lwrs.
There are several pathways for using thorium and technical challenges which will not be fully covered here. May 25, 2016 the liquid flouride thorium reactor lftr solution sam packard. Vhtr, msrmolten salt reactor, or lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactor refer to indirectly heated cycles. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison with light water reactor. The large expensive breeding blanket of thorium salt was omitted in favor of neutron. Thermal power generated from nuclear fission would drive electrical generation in a closedcycle gas turbine power conversion system. In a conventional pwr the fuel pellets contain uo 2 with fissile u235 content expensively enriched to 3. In january 2011, the china academy of sciences launched a research and development program on a liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr, called the thorium breeding molten salt reactor tmsr. At the dawn of the nuclear industry, the united states manhattan project developed the atomic bomb, or real two models of atomic. Fluoride thorium reactors lftr replace their popular use, becoming the prevalent method used. With molten fuel instead of fuel rods, msr can use all three of the available nuclear fuels. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor is a type of molten salt reactor. Liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftrs over pressurised. Perhaps these technical problems can be overcome, but why would anyone bother to try, knowing in advance that the msr plant will be uneconomic due to huge construction costs and operating costs, plus will explode and rain radioactive molten salt when not if the steam generator tubes leak.
Reactors containing molten thorium salt are called liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr. Us6991731b2 treatment process for removing radioactive. Thorium reactor liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr. In a typical design, the liquid is pumped between a critical core and an external heat exchanger where the heat is transferred to a nonradioactive secondary salt. Our particular emphasis is on the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr.
Note that, due to the much higher heat transfer capability of liquid molten salt or metal, a vhtr can operate at higher outlet temperatures than the htgr. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr simply too dangerous thats why it was stopped. A thoriumsalt reactor has fired up for the first time in. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor presented to presidents blue ribbon commission on. Enrico fermi, creator in 1942 of the first nuclear reactor in a pile of graphite and uranium blocks at the. In a liquid fluoride thorium reactor the th232 blanket becomes the u233 core.
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