A method of generating power using a Thorium-containing molten salt fuel is disclosed. One example includes the steps of providing a vessel containing a molten salt fuel, generating a proton beam externally to the vessel, where the externally generated proton beam is of an energy level sufficient to interact with material within a fuel rod in the vessel to produce (p, n) reactions resulting in the generation of neutrons at a first energy level. Neutrons generated within the vessel through the (p, n) reactions are utilized to produce a fission reaction which increases the heat content of the molten salt within the vessel. In the example, a heat exchanger is used to extract heat from the molten salt within the vessel and power is generated from the extracted heat.

A method of generating power using a Thorium-containing molten salt fuel is disclosed. One example includes the steps of providing a vessel containing a molten salt fuel, generating a proton beam externally to the vessel, where the externally generated proton beam is of an energy level sufficient to interact with material within a fuel rod in the vessel to produce (p, n) reactions resulting in the generation of neutrons at a first energy level. Neutrons generated within the vessel through the (p, n) reactions are utilized to produce a fission reaction which increases the heat content of the molten salt within the vessel. In the example, a heat exchanger is used to extract heat from the molten salt within the vessel and power is generated from the extracted heat.

An example for continuous removal of fission products from a molten-salt fueled nuclear reactor enclosed in a reactor containment may include separating actinides from other fission products flowing out of the reactor, returning the separated actinides back to the reactor to be consumed, and removing the other fission products out of the containment while the reactor is operating. In various embodiments, the reactor can be a critical reactor, a subcritical (e.g., accelerator-drive) reactor, or another type of reactor.

A molten salt fission reactor. The reactor includes a reactor core, which includes a plurality of fuel tubes. Each fuel tube contains a fuel salt and a gas interface. The fuel salt is a molten salt of one or more fissile isotopes. The gas interface is a surface of the fuel salt in contact with a gas space during operation of the reactor. The reactor also includes a fuel salt cooling system, which is configured to cool the fuel salt. The cooling system includes a heat exchanger and a coolant tank. The coolant tank contains a coolant liquid in which the fuel tubes are at least partially immersed. The heat exchanger is for extracting heat from the coolant liquid. The fuel salt cooling system is configured such that during operation of the reactor, for all points within the fuel salt within each fuel tube except at the respective gas interface:

[00001]$T_2>\frac{1}{-\frac{R_{\mathrm{He}}}{\Delta H_{\mathrm{He}}}*\ln \left(\frac{P_1}{P_2}\right)+\frac{1}{T_1}}$

A molten salt fission reactor. The reactor includes a reactor core, which includes a plurality of fuel tubes. Each fuel tube contains a fuel salt and a gas interface. The fuel salt is a molten salt of one or more fissile isotopes. The gas interface is a surface of the fuel salt in contact with a gas space during operation of the reactor. The reactor also includes a fuel salt cooling system, which is configured to cool the fuel salt. The cooling system includes a heat exchanger and a coolant tank. The coolant tank contains a coolant liquid in which the fuel tubes are at least partially immersed. The heat exchanger is for extracting heat from the coolant liquid. The fuel salt cooling system is configured such that during operation of the reactor, for all points within the fuel salt within each fuel tube except at the respective gas interface:

[00001]$T_2>\frac{1}{-\frac{R_{\mathrm{He}}}{\Delta H_{\mathrm{He}}}*\ln \left(\frac{P_1}{P_2}\right)+\frac{1}{T_1}}$

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for fast molten salt reactor fuel-salt preparation. In one implementation, the method may comprise providing fuel assemblies having fuel pellets, removing the fuel pellets and spent fuel constituents from the fuel assemblies, granulating the removed fuel pellets or process feed to a chlorination process, processing the granular spent fuel salt into chloride salt by ultimate reduction and chlorination of the uranium and associated fuel constituents chloride salt solution, enriching the granular spent fuel salt, chlorinating the enriched granular spent fuel salt to yield molten chloride salt fuel, analyzing, adjusting, and certifying the molten chloride salt fuel for end use in a molten salt reactor, pumping the molten chloride salt fuel and cooling the molten chloride salt fuel, and milling the solidified molten chloride salt fuel to predetermined specifications.

Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that include an auxiliary cooling system which shared part of the primary coolant loop but allows for passive cooling of decay heat from the reactor. Furthermore, different pump configurations for circulating molten fuel through the reactor core and one or more in vessel heat exchangers are described.

Configurations of molten fuel salt reactors are described that include an auxiliary cooling system which shared part of the primary coolant loop but allows for passive cooling of decay heat from the reactor. Furthermore, different pump configurations for circulating molten fuel through the reactor core and one or more in vessel heat exchangers are described.

A salt composition for use as a fuel in a nuclear reactor is provided. The salt composition can include carrier salts having mixtures of one or more chloride salts or one or more chloride salts and one or more fluoride salts and fuel salts including one or more chloride salts. The carrier salts can include alkali and/or alkaline earth cations, while the fuel salts can include actinide cations. The salt composition has a lower melting temperature, less corrosive redox properties, and allows proliferation-safe retention of actinides and concurrent removal of some fission products, as compared to other salts employed in molten salt reactors. Optionally, the salt composition can include one or more metal halides for further decreasing the melting point and/or increasing the boiling point of the composition, thereby increasing the range of the liquid phase of the salt composition.

A salt composition for use as a fuel in a nuclear reactor is provided. The salt composition can include carrier salts having mixtures of one or more chloride salts or one or more chloride salts and one or more fluoride salts and fuel salts including one or more chloride salts. The carrier salts can include alkali and/or alkaline earth cations, while the fuel salts can include actinide cations. The salt composition has a lower melting temperature, less corrosive redox properties, and allows proliferation-safe retention of actinides and concurrent removal of some fission products, as compared to other salts employed in molten salt reactors. Optionally, the salt composition can include one or more metal halides for further decreasing the melting point and/or increasing the boiling point of the composition, thereby increasing the range of the liquid phase of the salt composition.