About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2027 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Materials and Chemistry for Molten Salt Systems
|
| Presentation Title |
Monitoring, Synthesis, and Material Performance Assessments for High-Concentration Actinide MSR Fuel Salts |
| Author(s) |
William Doniger, Timothy J. Kim, Nora A. Shaheen, Drace Penley, Katharine Stasior, Joshua Dunbar, Amber Polke, Nathaniel C. Hoyt |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
William Doniger |
| Abstract Scope |
We present a scalable framework for producing and monitoring high-concentration uranium chloride salts for molten salt reactors, including chloride fast reactors with up to 75 wt% UCl3. LiCl-KCl-UCl3 and NaCl-KCl-UCl3 salts were synthesized by chlorinating uranium metal with ZnCl2, followed by Zn removal. In-situ voltammetry enabled near-real-time tracking of UCl3 during synthesis, with results validated by ICP-OES, DSC, and in-situ DTA. To detect minor species masked by strong uranium signals, voltammetry was paired with Raman spectroscopy and LIBS for characterization of fission-product surrogates in complex and flowing salts. Together, these methods provide a practical approach for MSR fuel salt synthesis, qualification, and safeguards monitoring. Off-line studies of structural metals exposed to these salts during synthesis and operation showed that corrosion behavior varies strongly with salt composition and flow conditions. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Nuclear Materials, Environmental Effects, High-Temperature Materials |