China plans to develop a nuclear power plant using molten salt, which is much safer than before



Chinese researchers are reportedly planning to develop a next-generation '

molten salt reactor' that uses liquid thorium as fuel instead of solid fuel rods such as uranium and plutonium. If the development is successful, it will be possible to operate a safer and cleaner nuclear reactor even in deserts where water is scarce.

Radioactive product analysis of a small molten-salt reactor in primary loop
http://www.j.sinap.ac.cn/hjs/EN/10.11889/j.0253-3219.2021.hjs.44.070601

Could China's molten salt nuclear reactor be a clean, safe source of power? | South China Morning Post
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3141581/could-chinas-molten-salt-nuclear-reactor-be-clean-safe-source

The thorium molten salt reactor (TMSR) planned by the Chinese government is an atom that mixes thorium as a parent substance with uranium or plutonium as a fissile material and uses it as both a fuel and a coolant. It is a furnace. Since it is a liquid, meltdown cannot occur, and even if it leaks, it cools rapidly and hardens, so it is safe. In addition, because the boiling point is high and the operating pressure is low, unlike cooling using water, there is almost no concern about steam explosion due to temperature rise.

Although the concept of molten salt reactors has been studied all over the world, none of them have been realized due to the corrosion of metal pipes by highly corrosive molten salt. The Chinese government has been supporting molten salt reactor research for a long time, and it is said that the reactor to be constructed this time will use an alloy that can withstand corrosion and high temperatures, which was created through repeated research.



Reactors are planned to be built on sparsely populated central and western plains or deserts, with the Chinese government aiming to build the first reactors by 2030. In addition, since thorium

produces only a very small amount of plutonium , it is difficult to convert it to nuclear weapons, so it is thought that the Chinese government may consider construction in other countries based on the Belt and Road Initiative.



Yan Rui and colleagues at the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, who designed the molten salt reactor, said, 'Such a small reactor is efficient and economical and plays an important role in the transition to clean energy. The molten salt reactor is expected to be widely deployed in the next few years. '



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