REFINE: A coordinated materials programme for the sustainable REduction of spent Fuel vital In a closed loop Nuclear Energy cycle
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Earth Sciences
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Publications
Vance E
(2012)
Candidate waste forms for immobilisation of waste chloride salt from pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel
in Journal of Nuclear Materials
Zhang H
(2016)
High temperature (35)Cl nuclear magnetic resonance study of the LiCl-KCl system and the effect of CeCl3 dissolution.
in Faraday discussions
| Description | The dynamics of Cl in in LiCl and KCl end members and mixtures have been detailed for the first time. The dissolution of Ce in the LiCl/KCl eutectic, as a Pu surrogate, changes the dynamics of the melt significantly with important implications for the potential effect of Pu. Faraday Discussions paper published, halide waste paper published |
| Exploitation Route | UK National Nuclear Laboratory has core expertise in molten salt re-processing that needs to be maintained - need fundamental work on the LiCl/KCl systems. May expand to fluoride systems through collaboration with SINAP (Shanghai Molten salt reactor programme) and Kairos Power, US start-up MS reactor company out of UC Berkeley. |
| Sectors | Energy,Environment |
| URL | http://www.refine.eng.ed.ac.uk |
| Description | We have been asked to collaborate with the Chinese Academy of Sciences project to develop a Molten Salt reactor at Jiaiding (Shanghai). In July 2017, Dr Tao Su visited Cambridge for one week from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai institute of Nuclear and Applied Physics (SINAP) to discuss the ongoing collaboration which has stalled slightly due to a delay in Chinese funding. The funding issue has been resolved and first results with SINAP researchers were discussed in a Zoom meeting in January 2021. We are collaborating with Professor Raluca Scarlet (UC Berkeley) on a US DOE NEUP application to research tritium and hydrogen speciation in molten salts. A pre-proposal was completed in summer 2020 and we were approved for a full grant application in November 2020. This was submitted on 8th February 2021. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
| Sector | Energy,Environment |
| Impact Types | Economic |
| Description | Probing Speciation of Light Elements in Molten Salts by Electrochemistry, High Temperature Liquid NMR, and Neutron Diffraction-Joint application to US DoE Nuclear Energy University Program (NEUP) |
| Organisation | University of California, Berkeley |
| Department | Department of Nuclear Engineering |
| Country | United States |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Prepared the pre-proposal document with Prof Scarlet and other partners and submitted in summer 2020, this was successful. Full proposal invited in the fall of 2020 and submitted in February 2021. Ths was funded and began in fall 2021 and Prof Farnan visited UC BErkeley 12-19 January 2022 to deliver doubly containment sample holders and review Be safety requirements. |
| Collaborator Contribution | research concept with multiple techniques conceived and research programme put forward for funding (February 2021) |
| Impact | Joint Application to Us Department of Energy Nuclear Energy University Program Fuel Cycle Technologies FC-1.4: Understanding the Structure and Speciation of Molten Salt at the Atomic and Molecular Scale |
| Start Year | 2019 |
| Description | Visinting Professorship at SINAP |
| Organisation | Chinese Academy of Sciences |
| Department | Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics |
| Country | China |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Joint research on application of NMR to molten salts in the context of nuclear reactors |
| Collaborator Contribution | Joint research on application of NMR to molten salts in hte context of nuclear reactors. Calculations of the behaviour of molten salts at high temperature and measurement of their NMR response. |
| Impact | visits by Chinese scientists to UK and UK scientists to China - two papers near to completeion one lead by each side of the collaboration. |
| Start Year | 2016 |