Innovative Process Controls and Salt Fuel Capabilities (IPC)

R&D activities in this area focus on the development of process monitoring and control methods for molten salt-based nuclear fuel cycle processes. Molten salt-based fuel cycle processes can be used for recycle of solid oxide and metallic fuels as well as preparation and recycle of Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) fuel salts.

Areas of Activity

• Innovative Molten Salt Chemistry Probes
  • Development of electrochemical methods for quantitatively measuring the halo basicity of molten salt solutions
  • Development of reflectance-based spectroscopic probes of opaque molten salts
• Innovative Molten Salt Process Monitoring and Control
  • Evaluate remote sampling of molten salts
  • Development of tools to manage structural and atmospheric contaminants in molten salts
• Innovative Molten Salt Preparation and Purification Methods
  • Evaluate zone refining for purification of molten salts
  • Development of advanced methods for direct chlorination of actinides (metal and oxide) in a molten salt solution