Considerations on safety and proliferation-resistant aspects for the MSBR design Original Research Article

Even though a molten salt reactor (MSR) design did not pop up on industrial scale such as the liquid metal fast breeder, it has been retained under the six reference concepts of Generation IV. Some states have definitely interest in it, in particular when considering the use of large Th resources in a U–Th fuel cycle. Japan, Russia and the US reported under the ITHSMO consortium a well-advanced development stage of the FUJI 100 MWe MSR. This paper recalls the reference-design of the Molten Salt Breeder Reactor of ORNL while focusing on two opposing aspects the breeding flexibility and the complex operation safety (in particular reactivity control). Contrary to the safety aspects, for which solutions were uncovered in the European MOST project, it was felt necessary for the safeguards aspects to complete a proliferation sensitivity study and to analyse inn