| Abstract Scope |
Reactors and fuel reprocessing facilities employing molten salts offer the potential for major advances in the performance and economics of nuclear power. Simultaneously, they present challenges for detectors and instrumentation that must be deployed for process monitoring, early detection of accident conditions, and nuclear safeguards. These challenges arise from the molten salt complex and evolving composition, inhomogeneity, and harsh environment, including high temperature and radiation. We have been investigating advanced methods based on optical emission spectroscopy of laser-produced plasmas, which may result in practical systems that can measure molten salt composition in situ and in real time. This talk will discuss the initial results in characterizing surrogate reactor molten salts with double-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), pulsed laser-induced fluorescence, and resonant LIBS. When employed alone or in tandem, these techniques could lead to improved sensitivity, repeatability, and easier deployment than the more traditional single-pulse non-resonant LIBS. |