A Review of Molten Salt Reactor Xenon Analysis Literature

Abstract

Molten salt reactors are a type of Gen IV nuclear reactor. Unlike solid fueled reactors, molten salt reactors use a circulating fluid fuel in which the fission process occurs. Xenon is a neutron poison and a by-product of the fission process. In traditional reactors, the xenon stays relatively motionless; however, in a molten salt reactor, the xenon is free to circulate about the reactor. This circulation of xenon complicates xenon analysis of molten salt reactors. This talk presents an up-to-date review of past research that has been conducted on Molten Salt Reactor xenon poisoning analysis. A primer on molten salt reactor xenon physics is presented. Early work from the molten salt reactor experiment to present day research is presented. Important and surprising findings are highlighted. Work pertaining to analytical techniques used to determine xenon poisoning is exposited. The assumptions made in the analyses are highlighted. Proposals are made about future pathways in molten salt reactor research.