Investigation of Thermal Feedback Design for Improved Load-Following Capability of Thorium Molten Salt Reactors

The increasing deployment of renewable energy sources has raised concerns about the ramp-rate limitations of conventional steam and combustion turbines in providing load following during solar photovoltaic transients. As one of the promising Generation IV reactor technologies, thorium molten salt reactors (TMSR) have a number of advantages in terms of their fuel cycle. In addition, recent advancements in reactor thermal hydraulics have increased the thermal feedback potential for TMSR. This paper examines the transient power characteristics of a TMSR with improved reactivity feedback performance by analyzing the neutronics and temperature interactions with reactor power feedback. Detailed simulations are given that include the nonlinear and transport delay effects of TMSR circulating-fuel reactor dynamics.