Status of Molten Salt Reactor Technology

This Technical Report Series (TRS) summarises the current knowledge on the status of research, technological developments, reactor designs and experiments in the area of advanced reactors that are related to MSRs. For the purpose of this document, an MSR is any reactor where a molten salt has a prominent role in the reactor core (i.e., fuel, coolant, and/or moderator). The publication is targeted at government officials with technical background from Member States, research institutes, and university students working on related topics, commercial organizations working or planning to design and build MSRs and IAEA internal staff, such as the Departments of Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Safety and Security, and Technical Cooperation. The publication will specifically benefit newcomer Member States that wish to understand the technology and R&D needs of MSRs for electricity and cogeneration applications. The publication aims to present a balanced view not only on the status and potential advantages of the MSR technology, but also to identify challenges and technology areas where research and development are required before deployment is achievable. The work for preparing this publication, including the technical and consultancy meetings mentioned above, provided Member States with the opportunity to share information on their MSR programmes and projects. This should influence and give directions for possible future collaborative efforts under the IAEA’s auspices. This publication is intended to document the current status of technology of MSRs in Member States, including a short history of technology development and a classification of MSRs. This technology has been evolving and keeps changing with new developments and concepts appearing over time. In some cases, the information reported in this publication was limited due to proprietary restrictions.