Terrapower, LLC

James M Vollmer

Daniel Eichel

Jesse R Cheatham, Iii

Christopher J Johns

Anselmo T Cisneros, Jr

Pavel Hejzlar

Jeffery F Latkowski

Robert Alan Corbin

Robert C Petroski

Joshua C Walter

Jon David McWhirter

John Rogers Gilleland

Kevan D Weaver

Kevin J Kramer

Christopher M Regan

Philip M Schloss

Brian C Johnson

Samuel J Miller

Ryan N Latta

Gary Povirk

Joon Hyung Choi

Bao H Truong

Michael E Garrett

Yu-Chih Ko

K Michael Steer

Mei He

Mathieu G Martin

Anselmo T Cisneros

Grant Helmreich

Iii Cheatham Jesse R

Jr Cisneros Anselmo T

Jesse R Iii Cheatham

A nuclear reactor includes a heat exchanger that transfers thermal energy from a primary reactor coolant to a secondary coolant. The heat exchanger is formed with a hot flow channel, a cold flow channel, and a porous layer between the hot flow channel and the cold flow channel. The porous layer may be thermally insulative to reduce the efficiency of thermal energy transfer from the hot flow channel to the cold flow channel. The porous layer may have a control gas passed therethrough that can be tailored to control the thermal energy transfer through the porous layer. The control gas can be tested for leakage within the heat exchanger. The control gas may also be used to sequester fission or activation products.

Heat exchanger configuration with porous layer

A getter element includes a getter material reactive with a fission product contained within a stream of liquid and/or gas exiting a fuel assembly of a nuclear reactor. At least one transmission pathway passes through the getter element that is sufficiently sized to maintain a flow of the input stream through the getter element at above a selected flow level. At least one transmission pathway includes a reaction surface area sufficient to uptake a pre-identified quantity of the fission product.

Fission product getter formed by additive manufacturing

Fission product getter

A molten salt reactor includes a nuclear reactor core for sustaining a nuclear fission reaction fueled by a molten fuel salt. A molten fuel salt control system removes a volume of the molten fuel salt from the nuclear reactor core to maintain a reactivity parameter within a range of nominal reactivity. The molten fuel salt control system includes a molten fuel salt exchange system that fluidically couples to the nuclear reactor core and exchanges a volume of the molten fuel salt with a volume of a feed material containing a mixture of a selected fertile material and a carrier salt. The molten fuel salt control system can include a volumetric displacement control system having one or more volumetric displacement bodies insertable into the nuclear reactor core. Each volumetric displacement body can remove a volume of molten fuel salt from the nuclear reactor core, such as via a spill-over system.

Fission reaction control in a molten salt reactor

Sodium-tin and sodium-tin-lead compositions have been identified and created that exhibit better reactivity characteristics (i.e., are less reactive) than sodium metal under the same conditions, making these compositions safer alternatives to sodium metal for use as a coolant. These compositions include compositions having at least 90% sodium (Na), from 0-10% lead (Pb) and the balance being tin (Sn).

Sodium-tin and sodium-tin-lead coolants

In response to a change in a thermal operational parameter in a nuclear fission reactor, reactivity is controlled by driving a neutron absorption parameter modifying material to or from a region of the core of the nuclear fission reactor. The apparatus includes a driver material disposed in a first reservoir portion and a second reservoir portion of a first reservoir and connected by a first conduit. A high-Z material may be distributed in the driver material. The neutron absorption parameter modifying material is disposed in both a second reservoir and the second reservoir portion of the first reservoir. A portion of the neutron absorption parameter modifying material is in physical contact with a portion of the driver material in the second reservoir portion. The neutron absorption parameter modifying material is driveable by the driver material between the second reservoir portion and the second reservoir through a second conduit.

Passive reactivity control apparatus

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Kirkland, WA, United States of America

James M Vollmer