AN ONLINE REPROCESSING FACILITY FOR A ONE-FLUID U-233/TH-232 FLIBE MOLTEN SALT BREEDER REACTOR

摘要

Thorium-fueled nuclear reactors may offer cost-efficient power generation while avoiding extensive proliferation concerns. Chemical reprocessing systems must be developed to operate simultaneously with a thorium-fueled nuclear reactor. This paper offers a reprocessing scheme for support of a one-fluid thorium-fueled molten salt breeder reactor. The molten salt reactor (MSR) operates using the U-233/Th-232 fuel cycle. Once equilibrium is reached, the reactor breeds sufficient U-233 from Th-232 to maintain criticality, with only Th-232 as fuel input to the reactor. The MSR includes, as a part of the reactor plant, a reprocessing system for continuous fuel recycling. Multiple computer codes and simulations were used to model each step of the reprocessing chemical system and to demonstrate the system's feasibility. Modeling considerations are centered on the species present and available separation techniques, as well as heat transfer and species decay. The MSR reprocessing facility is modeled using ChemCAD?. The basis of the results of the process development that is presented here can be included in thorium reactor operations research to complete a design of a fully integrated, operating thorium-fueled molten salt breeder reactor nuclear power plant available for commercial energy generation.