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National labs drive nuclear innovations and uprates for the U.S. fleet
As the United States faces surging electricity demand driven by artificial intelligence, data centers, and a push to bring manufacturing back home, Idaho National Laboratory is leading an effort to modernize and expand the nation’s nuclear power capabilities by revamping the Department of Energy’s Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program.
Cristian Contescu, Ann Campbell, Timothy Burchell, Nidia Gallego, A. L. Qualls (ORNL)
Proceedings | 2018 International Congress on Advances in Nuclear Power Plants (ICAPP 2018) | Charlotte, NC, April 8-11, 2018 | Pages 1168-1175
Since the successful completion of Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, nuclear and material scientists continue to expand their knowledge on materials and conditions that would ensure safe and efficient operation of high temperature reactors with molten salt coolant. Carbon materials will be present in the reactor core as graphite moderators and reflectors in liquid-fuel molten salt reactor, MSR, and also as fuel matrix carbons in the fuel pebbles of thermal fluoride high temperature reactors (FHR). This paper summarizes the knowledge progress on carbon and graphite materials for molten-salt reactors starting from the lessons learned after the MSRE up to the newly revived interest for MSR in the last decade. Some unsolved items and knowledge gaps which require more research are emphasized.