Project description
First tests on the safety of molten salt reactors
Molten salt reactors (MSRs) are one of several next-generation (Gen IV) nuclear reactor designs under development today. Efforts to revive older nuclear designs have been bubbling up in the EU, Russia and US, and many start-ups are trying to commercialise the technology. Further work is needed to test the safety of the reactor and the nuclear fuel cycle facilities, and demonstrate the path towards technology licensing and deployment. The EU-funded SAMOSAFER project will use advanced numerical and experimental techniques to prove the safety of MSRs. The project, which represents the first step towards large-scale validation and demonstration of the technology, aims to ensure that MSRs can comply with all expected safety requirements.
Objective
The Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) is considered a game-changer in the field of nuclear energy and a strong asset in the combat against climate change. The expanding R&D programmes in China, EU, Russia, and the USA, lead to a vibrant atmosphere with many bright students entering the scene and new start-up companies eager to commercialize this technology.
The MSR typically consists of a reactor core with a liquid fuel salt, and an integrated treatment unit to clean and control the fuel salt composition. Due to the liquid fuel, the MSR excels on safety and can operate as a breeder with thorium or uranium, or as a burner of spent fuel actinides.
However, to make these promises reality, R&D is needed to demonstrate the inherent safety of the reactor, the feasibility of the fuel cycle facilities, and the path towards licensing and deployment. This will take time during which the safety requirements will become more stringent.
This proposal aims to develop and demonstrate new safety barriers and a more controlled behaviour in severe accidents, based on new simulation models and assessment tools validated with experiments.
Our proposal cover the modelling, analysis, and design improvements on:
• Prevention and control of reactivity induced accidents
• Redistribution of the fuel salt via natural circulation and draining by gravity
• Freezing and re-melting of the fuel salt during draining
• Temperature control of the salt via decay heat transfer to the environment
• Thermo-chemical control of the salt to enhance the radionuclide retention
• Nuclide extraction processes, such as helium bubbling, fluorination, and others
• Redistribution of the source term in the fuel treatment unit
• Assessment and reduction of radionuclide mobility
• Barriers against severe accidents, such as fail-safe freeze plugs, emergency drain tanks, and gas hold-up tanks
The grand objective is to ensure that the MSR can comply with all expected safety requirements in a few decades from now.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- natural sciences chemical sciences inorganic chemistry noble gases
- engineering and technology environmental engineering energy and fuels
- natural sciences chemical sciences nuclear chemistry radiation chemistry
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-Euratom - Euratom
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-Euratom-1.1. - Support safe operation of nuclear systems
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
RIA - Research and Innovation action
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) NFRP-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
2628 CN DELFT
Netherlands
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.