Thermodynamic Properties of Molten Salts Measured by DSC

Abstract

The use of molten fuel salts as primary coolant in small modular reactors (SMRs) requires a reliable and comprehensive database of thermal properties. Accurate values of thermal properties (such as thermal conductivity, melting point and specific heat capacity) of molten salts for design and safety-related analysis must be known. Measuring these properties at high temperatures presents technical challenges due to the chemical reactivity and corrosiveness of these materials. Besides the requirement for appropriate sample encapsulation, the quality of the sample plays an important role in the validity of the final results. This paper reports our current thermodynamic measurements of a pure nitrate salt and a eutectic chloride salt mixture using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). New results on melting points, enthalpies of fusion and specific heat capacities are presented and compared with literature data.