As vendors of molten salt reactor (MSR) technology enter the reactor licensing process, the determination of an appropriate and accurate source term (i.e., the potential release of radionuclides to the environment during off-normal events) will be central to the approval of the design. The Nuclear Energy Advanced Modeling and Simulation (NEAMS) program within DOE:NE is supporting development of mechanistic source term (MST) modeling and simulation tools to assist in the licensing process for advanced (non-LWR) reactors, including MSRs. Progress updates are provided on previously recommended development tasks for the closure of gaps related to modeling radionuclide transport behavior within the reactor system. A parametric sensitivity study was initialized on the thermodynamic solution model representative of molten salts (the modified quasichemical model), and the impact of certain parameters on figures-of-merit such as radionuclide vaporization. Additionally, a sensitivity study on the radiological consequence of tritium releases from MSRs is developed to assess the risks associated with MSRs that produce larger tritium inventories. A summary is provided on current capabilities for modeling radionuclide transport within the reactor system, especially for auxiliary systems such as the off-gas or fuel processing systems. Lastly, an overview is provided of efforts summarizing the current state of knowledge on molten salt aerosol behavior and bubble transport and solubility within molten salts as it relates to MSR MST.

Progress in mechanistic source term model development for molten salt reactors

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