September 1, 2016 – Fluoride salt-cooled high-temperature reactors are a promising design in the next generation of nuclear energy production, and one of the first steps from concept to reality is underway at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. A team led by ORNL’s Graydon Yoder Jr. is operating a test loop to see how fluoride salts would perform in transferring heat from the FHR’s core. “It’s the first high-temperature fluoride salt pumped test loop facility in the U.S. since the 1970s,” Yoder said. “The loop can provide useful information to reactor developers showing that liquid salt heat transfer meets performance goals and safety requirements.” The FHR would provide temperatures well above 600 degrees Celsius, which increases energy efficiency while maintaining a low pressure because the fluoride salt is far from its boiling point. The research team is also testing other new concepts, including silicon carbide as a piping component and a dry rotating gas seal design.
ORNL researchers use infrared photos to identify temperature loss that could create problems in the high-temperature fluoride salt pumped test loop.