Uploaded May 2017 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
With fossil fuels diminishing, the search for renewable energy has been on the rise. One such source is nuclear power, which provides a relatively large amount of energy with a small amount of emission. However, this emission is extremely radioactive and remains so for a long time. In extreme cases, current nuclear reactors can be relatively dangerous, as demonstrated by the Fukishima nuclear power plant meltdown. This has caused many people to deem nuclear power as a dangerous way of producing power, although that is not necessarily the case.
Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) are a promising yet relatively less tested category of nuclear reactor. MSRs use a breeding reaction with a fuel, such as a molten thorium salt, to produce heat energy which can be harnessed through a rankine cycle, or other type of generator. The reactor core is often cooled with a molten fluoride salt, which is stable in the presence of neutrons, adding to the stability of the reactor as a whole. These reactors have many benefits over traditional nuclear reactors such as the ability to use higher temperatures which increase efficiency, a lower pressure which increases safety, less dangerous nuclear byproducts, fewer total byproducts, and a more streamlined refueling process that does not require reactor shutdown. However, in addition to being a less researched and funded, MSRs require more expensive maintenance and are at a higher risk for corrosion than Light Water Reactors. All of these things are possible because the MSR use fuel dissolved in a liquid as the main coolant and fuel instead of solid fuel pellets cooled by high pressure water.
In our video, we plan to explain what a MSR is and give a general overview of how it works. Additionally, we will cover the key differences between them and other nuclear reactors, and the advantages and disadvantages that come with these differences.
References:
"Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. 2017. Web. 07 May 2017.
"Molten Salt Reactor." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Apr. 2017. Web. 07 May 2017.
Molten Salt Reactors - World Nuclear Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2017.
Safwan Jaradat. "IMPACT OF THORIUM BASED MOLTEN SALT REACTOR ON THE CLOSURE OF THE NUC..."LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 05 Nov. 2015. Web. 07 May 2017.
The Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) in Generation IV: Overview and Perspectives. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2017.
Thoma, R.e. Ed. "Phase Diagrams Of Nuclear Reactor Materials." (1959): n. pag. Web.
"Thorium Fuel Cycle." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 May 2017. Web. 07 May 2017.
Touran, Nick. "Molten Salt Reactors." What Is Nuclear? / Molten Salt Reactors. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2017.
With fossil fuels diminishing, the search for renewable energy has been on the rise. One such source is nuclear power, which provides a relatively large amount of energy with a small amount of emission. However, this emission is extremely radioactive and remains so for a long time. In extreme cases, current nuclear reactors can be relatively dangerous, as demonstrated by the Fukishima nuclear power plant meltdown. This has caused many people to deem nuclear power as a dangerous way of producing power, although that is not necessarily the case.
Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) are a promising yet relatively less tested category of nuclear reactor. MSRs use a breeding reaction with a fuel, such as a molten thorium salt, to produce heat energy which can be harnessed through a rankine cycle, or other type of generator. The reactor core is often cooled with a molten fluoride salt, which is stable in the presence of neutrons, adding to the stability of the reactor as a whole. These reactors have many benefits over traditional nuclear reactors such as the ability to use higher temperatures which increase efficiency, a lower pressure which increases safety, less dangerous nuclear byproducts, fewer total byproducts, and a more streamlined refueling process that does not require reactor shutdown. However, in addition to being a less researched and funded, MSRs require more expensive maintenance and are at a higher risk for corrosion than Light Water Reactors. All of these things are possible because the MSR use fuel dissolved in a liquid as the main coolant and fuel instead of solid fuel pellets cooled by high pressure water.
In our video, we plan to explain what a MSR is and give a general overview of how it works. Additionally, we will cover the key differences between them and other nuclear reactors, and the advantages and disadvantages that come with these differences.
References:
"Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Apr. 2017. Web. 07 May 2017.
"Molten Salt Reactor." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Apr. 2017. Web. 07 May 2017.
Molten Salt Reactors - World Nuclear Association. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2017.
Safwan Jaradat. "IMPACT OF THORIUM BASED MOLTEN SALT REACTOR ON THE CLOSURE OF THE NUC..."LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 05 Nov. 2015. Web. 07 May 2017.
The Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) in Generation IV: Overview and Perspectives. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2017.
Thoma, R.e. Ed. "Phase Diagrams Of Nuclear Reactor Materials." (1959): n. pag. Web.
"Thorium Fuel Cycle." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 05 May 2017. Web. 07 May 2017.
Touran, Nick. "Molten Salt Reactors." What Is Nuclear? / Molten Salt Reactors. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2017.
