Idaho National Laboratory (INL) recently debuted a new molten salt test loop that will support the development of advanced reactors using molten salts.
It will also be used to help support the world’s first fast-spectrum, salt-fueled reactor experiment at the lab scheduled to begin in the 2030s.
Molten salt reactors use molten salt as a coolant and, in some instances, as a liquid fuel too. They offer enhanced safety features and operate at high temperatures to generate reliable and secure electricity, as well as process heat which can be used by industry.
A key challenge in molten salt reactor research is finding materials, sensors, and instrumentation that can withstand the hot and corrosive environment within the reactor created by molten salt.
To better understand how sensors and instrumentation might perform in this type of reactor, researchers at INL developed a new way to test materials by creating a molten salt test loop that more closely mimics a molten salt reactor.