NRG PALLAS Advances Research on Molten Salt Reactor in Petten
New research into materials for molten salt reactors (MSRs) has recently begun at the High Flux Reactor (HFR) in Petten, marking an important step toward the development of this innovative nuclear technology.
The work is being carried out by NRG PALLAS (ENS Corporate Member) as part of its MSR research programme commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy.
Within this programme, the HFR reactor is hosting an irradiation experiment as part of the European SALIENT-03 research programme. The experiment aims to improve understanding of how molten salts interact with structural materials used in future MSRs under real reactor conditions.
“This irradiation is groundbreaking because the influence of irradiation on the corrosion of construction materials in molten salt environments has not been tested before,”
explained Arjan Vreeling, Manager of Nuclear Irradiation at NRG PALLAS.
Researchers will also investigate the behaviour of fission products released from molten salt fuel during irradiation to determine whether they remain dissolved, precipitate or form gases.
The programme is carried out in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centres, with molten salts supplied from Karlsruhe and the irradiation facility designed with partners in Petten.
Read the full NRG PALLAS Press Release.
Besides its key role in the production of medical isotopes (including molybdenum-99), the HFR reactor supports research into advanced nuclear technologies, including MSRs, which are considered a promising concept offering strong safety prospects and the potential to produce less long-lived radioactive waste than conventional nuclear power plants.
In this context, earlier experiments in collaboration with the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, such as SALIENT-01, the first irradiation of fissile molten salt in a test reactor in more than four decades, helped pave the way for the current SALIENT-03 project.
In the future, the PALLAS reactor, currently under construction at the Petten site, will replace the HFR and ensure the continuation of irradiation services.
