University of Liverpool leads innovative future MSR reactor project valued at £ 1.17 million

The University of Liverpool has received £ 1.17 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) to lead a collaborative research project into a new, more sustainable and economical nuclear technology for the UK.

The new technology is based on molten salt reactors, which do not require expensive solid fuel production or a highly complex fuel cycle. This makes it ideal for a breakthrough closed-loop fuel-cycle solution with an innovative approach to running on spent nuclear fuel (currently classified as waste) that can release up to 100 times more energy.

The project is the first step in the creation of a UK “zero current” pilot facility for reactor research, which will be a cost-effective, low-risk approach to the faster development of new nuclear systems.

It will use advanced modeling and simulation tools to create a design for the zero power reactor experiment for molten salt reactors. It is supported by an experimental program to determine the thermophysical properties of the future fuel in order to improve the simulation results and to carry out social science studies.

The project, in which the Universities of Lancaster and Manchester as well as several national and international industrial partners are involved as consultants, is led by Professor Bruno Merk, who holds the University’s Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technology.

Professor Merk’s research focuses on developing new and innovative technologies to transform the nuclear energy sector. His ultimate vision is to develop a new generation nuclear reactor that uses the waste from the more traditional reactors as fuel to generate energy while solving the long-term problem of nuclear waste.

Professor Merk said: “Even if the program is small, this is the first big step in the development of molten salt reactor technologies in the UK. Zero power reactors are traditionally the first step in starting a new reactor development program to put the technologies in a safe setting, with code validation and initial safety demonstrations for the regulator.

“This innovative project will make a real contribution to the design of molten salt reactors. It is a step towards a UK molten salt reactor, a pioneering zero-flow facility that puts the UK at the forefront of developing molten salt reactor demonstrators and creating a focal point. Point for researchers from around the world to come to the UK. ”

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