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Two steps forward for U.K. advanced nuclear
This week, two significant announcements have emerged from the United Kingdom’s advanced reactor sector.
On June 14, Rolls-Royce, the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory, and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency announced that they had signed two trilateral memorandums of cooperation to collaborate on “advanced modular reactor (AMR) technology, specifically high-temperature gas-cooled reactors (HTGR), and the coated particle fuel these reactors will use.”
Separately, on June 16, Bellevue, Wash.–based TerraPower announced that its Natrium reactor design has been formally submitted for U.K. regulatory review. The company also announced the formation of a new subsidiary, TerraPower UK Ltd.
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.