How to solve the energy crisis of the world.This is only possible by nuclear energy that uses uranium and thorium. Now let us see what type of nuclear reactor provides most safety providing features and advantages over presently available nuclear reactors. Answer for that question is full filled with Molten Salt nuclear reactors Now let us look into Molten Salt Reactor.This nuclear reactor is a different type of thermal reactor that accepts uranium and thorium as its fuels but these uranium and thorium must be dissolved in a carrier salt medium of beryllium-lithium tetra fluoride salt medium.This system possess inherent safety features and advantages than any other type of advanced thermal nuclear breeder reactors those are shortly stated here below. This system can achieve very high operating temperature at normal atmosphere pressure. And its fuel is in the form of Molten salt mixture. Generally two types of designs are more attractive in this field those are shortly explained here below. Basically those are known as single fuid and double fluid reactors. Single fluid reactor uses either uranium(Natural uranium that possess 99.3 percentage of U 238 & .7 percentage of uranium 235) with plutonium or natural thorium with plutonium or natural thorium with uranium 233 but all these materials have to be dissolved in a carrier salt medium of beryllium-lithium tetra fluoride, forming a liquid medium, that can be pumped between a critical graphite core & external heat exchanging unit where thermal heat of fission is transfered to a secondary non radioactive salt medium (Na Be F4) of a closed circuit. And this secondary salt medium transfers its thermal heat to either a steam turbine generator or a close circuit of gas turbine generator to produce electric energy.And its fuel medium is continuously running through a chemical processing plant where all fission fragments would be removed that increases its neuron efficiency for further fissions and provides high thermal efficiency above 50 percentage . Second type double fluid reactor contains two types of liquid fluoride salts, one fuel salt holds fissile material either U235/U 333/Pu 239 that sustains the a nuclear fission reaction with graphite or without graphite in the middle part of this system and the second fuel salt medium is known as blanket salt medium that is encircling over the first fuel salt medium of this reactor. This blanket salt holds fertile uranium 238 or natural thorium to absorb more than half of the neutrons from the fissions those take place in the first fuel salt medium and produces more plutonium or uranium 233.In between these two circuits, there is a graphite barrier wall. Basically MSR is quite different from other type of thermal breeder reactors and it has several advantages and safety features than any other type of nuclear breeder reactors, those things are short listed here below; 1, high percentage of fuel burning & high fuel efficiency both possible by MSR that means it consume more than 95 percentage of its fuel whereas traditional water based thermal nuclear reactors consume only 2 percentage of their fuels. 2,it operates at higher temperature that is in between 850 to 1000 degree temperatures or more.Its ability of working at high temperature can convert heat to electricity with much less losses, giving you more money for a given amount of heat and its extra heat can be used in desalination, producing hydrogen from water, producing ammonia for fertiliser, extraction of hydro carbon from oil shale and tar sand, producing carbon neutral vehicle fuel from water and carbon dioxide because higher heat of 1000 degree centigrade can split co2 and water, so making gasoline will be possible with least cost.3, MSR has high breeding ratio that means it breeds more fissile isotope of plutonium or uranium 233 during the operation,and it can be possible with the help of a chemical processing plant which is already linked to its fuel circulating circuit.4, online fission products removal is possible with the help of a chemical processing plant that increases the neuron efficiency of this reactor for further fissions that provides high breeding ratio and high thermal efficiency.5,Online fueling is possible that means fuel can be added to this reactor and its waste would be removed during the operation. 6,No neuron losses in the structure,since there is no structure like cladding, fuel ducts, grid spacers.so there is no neutrons loss that improve its fuel efficiency and sustainability.7,No expensive enrichment or fuel fabrication is needed, for eg . fuel pellets, cladding tubes, core support, flow orifices etc.are totally eliminated because MSRs are basically just a vats of fuel, so they are much simpler and cheaper in this regard.8, it works with low pressure that is the greatest safety feature ot this system. Since the fuel and coolant are at atmosphere pressure, a leak in a tube doesnt automatically result in the expulsion of a bunch of fuel coolant . This advantage enables passive decay heat removal and its low pressure operation eliminates the need of high pressure vessel, high pressure containment dome including high pressure pipes etc . that all reduce its capital cost. 9, it needs only smaller containment, since the system pressure is low and its heat capacity is so so high then its containment would be smaller and thinner, economically cheaper to buit that reduces its capital cost. 10,No chemical reactivity with air and water that means the fuel of this system generally not violently reactive with environmental for.eg. Light water nuclear reactor and heavy water nuclear reactor may have hydrogen explosion if the temperature of these systems go beyond the limit. Similarly fast sodium cooled fast breeder has sodium fire as similar as lead fire would be happened in lead metal cooled fast breeder reactor.11, it has a safety freeze plug mechanism that built into the reactor plumbing,if something goes wrong in this reactor and temperature starts going up, freeze plug can melt, pouring the entire vorr content into subcritical drain tanks that are intimately linked to an ultimate heat sink, keeping them to cool 13, MSR can burn up its own actinides which are formed during the operation because it is a fast breeder has fast neutrons in the reactor core, those neutrons easily intact with actinides, transmuting them into fissile isotopes and fissioning them to produce energy but it is not possible in traditional thermal uranium reactors. 14, MSR can accept the spent fuel of thermal reactors as a fuel.15, MSR can passively cool without electricity or water, salt coolant cant boil away because boiling point is much higher than reactor temperature ( 1400-1700 degree centigrade).So loss of coolant accident never possible with Molten Salt Reactor. 16, MSR has a strong self stability that means its materials( reactor physical body) wont melt under normal or emergency condition, radioactive materials stay contained even if a bomb or missile breaks the reactor vessel, it make a spill that cool to solid, doesnt interact with air or water, most of all fission products chemically bonded to the salt and salt will not absorb neutrons which would affect the rate of fission.17, MSR fuel is highly stable in any condition because its fuel is made by dissolving uranium and thorium in a fluoride salt of beryllium and lithium.This salt medium is chemically stable, impervious to radiation damage, non corrosive to the vessels that contain them . Because of its ability to tolerate heavy radiation and its excellent temperature properties and minimal fuel loading requirements, all these advantages brought this system to be considered as a top one among any fast breeder reactors. 18, MSR produces least waste than any traditional nuclear reactors and its 83 percentage of wastes are safe within ten years, remaining 17 percentage become safe within 300 years ( comparing to 10000 years or more with current reactors waste).Additionally its waste contents are a great source of rare elements, some of them are stable within few decade time period. The rare elements such as rhodium, ruthenium, technetium, cesium, strontium, xenon are relied on heavy in modern electronics, commercial products, industrial products and medical life saving products, for eg. Xenon and cesium would be considered as a fuel propellant for ion and plasma rockets for space exploration.Rhodium and ruthenium needed in modern electronics. Technetium is used as a catalyst similar to platinum and iodine-131, cesium-137, molybdenum 99 and technetium 99 are highly useful for medical application. And the molybdenum with iron and born that alloy can be used to make super strong, super light weight magnet.19, MSR can be built with least cost because it doesnt need enormous pressure vessel and containment dome for safety and its lower pressure and high temperature operation need only smaller & thinner containment vessel, that economically cheaper to built and also reduces its capital cost.20, The entire MSR system is so compact than any existing traditional nuclear reactors that means it needs only small area to establish every things those related to this system. All the above great advantages and most safety features promote this system to be considered as the most safest and most thermal efficiency providing nuclear reactor system than any other type of nuclear systems developed in this world. And its highest thermal out put can be used to produce highest electric output.No doubt, the above MSR system will be considered as the most safety providing nuclear reactor system in future energy world.
Posted on: Sat, 25 Oct 2014 07:56:39 +0000
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