US-based nuclear technology companies Southern Nuclear and TerraPower and UK-based Core Power have begun a hot salt pumping experiment which is expected to further the development of TerraPower’s demonstrator molten chloride fast reactor (MCFR) technology.
Southern Nuclear’s parent company Southern Company said in a statement that pumped-salt operations have started for the integrated effects test (IET) experiment at a TerraPower laboratory in Everett, Washington state, dedicated to the development of its Generation-IV molten salt reactor project.
The statement said chloride salt has been loaded into the primary coolant salt loops at the facility, kicking off a multi-month test campaign expected to provide valuable salt operations data for the MCFR programme.