SMR/AMR: Supporting the development of molten salt reactors

Increase the technological maturity of molten salt reactors (MSR) projects on fuel salt fabrication and design of specific reactor systems.

• Challenges

  • Scale up chemical processes and mechanical processes on fuel salts (from lab to prototype to industrial facility) 
  • Ensure operability and maintainability of MSR and salt handling facilities 
  • Design systems and equipment suitable for operating in high radiation, high corrosion and high temperature environments 
  • Safely handle fuel salts with large quantities of fissile materials (uranium, plutonium, minor actinides) 

• Our Solution

  • Build roadmaps for design studies and for R&D and process qualification to increase the maturity of low TRL systems for fuel salt fabrication and for MSR operations 
  • Receive support for designing systems for handling fuel salts: 

  • Receiving/storing/shipping of fresh fuel salt and spent fuel salt 
  • Preparation and feeding of fresh fuel salt to the reactor core 
  • Unloading, processing and conditioning of spent salts from the reactor systems 

  • Capitalize on our expertise in fission gas management to design reactor off‑gas treatment systems and associated process equipment
  • Benefit from our expertise on materials for selecting suitable materials for reactor components in contact with chloride or fluoride salts 
  • Apply Orano’s “Maintenance by design” approach in reactor systems handling fuel salt and rely on our proven methodologies to define strategies for maintenance and operability of reactor systems 
  • Leverage the integration, within our engineering studies, of solutions developed by Orano for the transport of fresh fuel salts and spent salts

• Key Features

  • + 50-year experience in designing and operating gloveboxes for alpha-emitting radionuclides and shielded cells with mechanical or chemical processes, such as HLW vitrification 
  • Involvement in several programs supporting MSR and their fuel cycle, such as ISAC (Innovative Systems for Actinides Conversion) project and its ARAMIS reactor 
  • Involvement in the development of various types of MSR concepts and projects through engineering studies and testing in our R&D centres 
  • Experience on fluoride processes and uranium chemistry in Orano’s front-end facilities in Malvesi and Tricastin 
  • Dual engineering and operational expertise on fission gas management based on the design of off-gas treatment systems of spent fuel reprocessing plants 
  • Expertise in safety calculations including safety-criticality calculations and thermal simulations for complex nuclear source terms