Molten salt reactors, a scientific innovation previously passed over by the Department of Energy, are gaining momentum as the next “big thing” in clean energy production.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory hosted a mix of researchers, regulators, venture capitalists and reactor developers at its third annual molten salt reactor workshop last week. There, vendors talked about design, fuel, safety and regulations that pertain to the pursuit of advanced reactor technology.
As far as advanced reactors go, molten-salt cooled reactors are nothing new to ORNL. The laboratory constructed the first experimental molten salt reactor in 1964. It reached nuclear criticality the next year.
The Department of Energy was looking into nuclear energy at the time, the laboratory built and studied 13 different kinds of reactors. The Energy Department ended up moving forward with reactors cooled by light water, which are widely used today.
So, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory decommissioned the experimental molten salt reactor just five years after it reached criticality.
Brittany Crocker – USA Today Network – October 19, 2017.
Want More Investigative Content?
