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NRC approves TerraPower construction permit
Today, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that it has approved TerraPower’s construction permit application for Kemmerer Unit 1, the company’s first deployment of Natrium, its flagship sodium fast reactor.
This approval is a significant milestone on three fronts. For TerraPower, it represents another step forward in demonstrating its technology. For the Department of Energy, it reflects progress (despite delays) for the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program (ARDP). For the NRC, it is the first approval granted to a commercial reactor in nearly a decade—and the first approval of a commercial non–light water reactor in more than 40 years.
A. F. Laplace, J. Lacquement, J. L. Willit, R. A. Finch, G. A. Fletcher, M. A. Williamson
Nuclear Technology | Volume 163 | Number 3 | September 2008 | Pages 366-372
Technical Paper | Molten Salt Chemistry and Technology | doi.org/10.13182/NT08-A3995
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The results from a study of U and Pu metal electrodeposition from molten eutectic LiCl-KCl on a solid inert cathode are presented. This study has been conducted using ~50 g of U-Pu together with rare earths (mostly Nd) and 1.5 kg of salt. The introduction of a three-electrode probe with an Ag/AgCl reference electrode has allowed voltammetric measurement during electrolysis and control of the cathode potential versus the reference. Cyclic and square-wave voltammetric measurements proved to be very useful tools for monitoring the electrolysis as well as selecting the cathode versus reference potential to maximize the separation between actinides and rare earths. The voltammetric data also highlighted the occurrence of back reactions between the cathode deposit and oxidizing equivalents formed at the anode that remained in the molten salt electrolyte. Any further electrolysis test needs to be conducted continuously and followed by immediate removal of the cathode to minimize those back reactions.