The molten salt tritium transport experiment: A pumped fluoride salt loop for hydrogen isotope experimentation

Abstract

Molten salt reactors and fusion reactors propose to use molten salt as coolants and breeder blanket materials. Tritium, however, poses safety concerns in both reactor types due to its ability to permeate through reactor materials creating the potential for environmental release. This article addresses the tritium transport phenomena in molten salts and presents the design and analysis of the Molten Salt Tritium Transport Experiment (MSTTE). MSTTE is a forced-convection fluoride salt loop intended to measure hydrogen isotope permeation through structural materials in a flowing salt system. Computational fluid dynamics analysis ensures fully developed salt flow in the permeation test section. MSTTE is modeled with MELCOR-TMAP to predict the permeation rate as a function of experimental variables such as source rate, salt flow rate, and salt temperature. Additionally, pressure drop analysis is conducted and finite-element analysis assesses thermal stress during loop operation to ensure the experiment’s safe design.