Radiochemical Facilities for the Molten Salts in Nuclear Technologies Network
Lead Research Organisation:
The University of Manchester
Department Name: Chem Eng and Analytical Science
Abstract
The Molten Salt in Nuclear Technology Laboratory (MSNTL) aims to provide a network of research equipment and expertise to support the recently expanding interests in molten salt technologies for use in next generation nuclear fuel cycles. Recent world-wide interest in molten salt reactor (MSR) technology in advanced nuclear reactor designs presents an ideal opportunity to utilise the UK's established expertise in spent nuclear fuel pyroprocessing to make a vital contribution to the emerging development of this reactor type. Even though there has recently been substantial investment in MSR designs across numerous companies and institutes, there are still substantial research challenges that need to be addressed to allow the deployment of these advanced reactors. The MSNTL addresses a gap in capability by providing user access to state-of-the-art research facilities that can safely handle fluoride melts (the dominant salt type in MSRs) with radionuclides and radiation doses that will be present in these reactor process environments. The equipment provided in the MSNTL will allow the safe assessment of salt and materials behavior in process-like demanding environments, and enable the development of valid management strategies for waste streams from molten salt technologies. The MSNTL forms a key component in a large network of facilities that can provide comprehensive assessments of molten salt technologies across radioactivity levels and process scales.
Planned Impact
The MSNTL facilities will be able to provide the following key academic and industrial impacts with the associated beneficiaries:
1) Contribute to databases of physicochemical parameters pertaining to molten salt media with various compositions that are relevant to nuclear process environments
2) Structural materials performance assessments for molten salt technologies across process-like conditions, including radionuclide content, radiation doses and salt type, providing comprehensive selection criteria to determine material type/s for structural containment of molten salt technologies in nuclear processes - to be utilised by design companies in the nuclear supply chain who intend to implement molten salt technologies, like molten salt reactors and pyroprocessing. Potential for cross-over into other technology areas (see Section 2.4 below).
3) Understanding of the behaviour of nuclear graphite and other graphitic materials upon exposure to molten salt media including the impact of irradiation and interactions with radionuclides - to be utilised by molten salt reactor design companies in safety cases of molten salt reactor designs where nuclear graphite is used as moderator materials or in graphitic coated fuels.
4) Development of novel molten salt technologies for decontaminating materials from nuclear processes for reclassification to lower waste categories, and advanced processes for the effective treatment and disposal of salt-bearing nuclear waste streams as part of an integrated waste management strategy - For use by nuclear supply chain companies in decommissioning programmes. Can ensure the continuation of these companies beyond the decommissioning of the current generation of nuclear plants by providing strategies for the management of the next generation of nuclear reactors. Thereby, providing employment security and the capability to develop long-term plans for supporting local infrastructure. Benefits for the UK NDA and equivalent decommissioning bodies world-wide reducing GDF requirements and ultimately the tax-paying general public.
5) Journal and conference publications will be submitted from work performed at the MSNTL - for the benefit of the entire nuclear and molten salt technology communities. (Note: The use of Mendeley Data for the sharing of large quantities of data will be used in this programme, where appropriate. Agreements will be made between the user and the MSNTL on a case-by-case basis where open access of data may not be possible, such as IP and export control concerns.)
1) Contribute to databases of physicochemical parameters pertaining to molten salt media with various compositions that are relevant to nuclear process environments
2) Structural materials performance assessments for molten salt technologies across process-like conditions, including radionuclide content, radiation doses and salt type, providing comprehensive selection criteria to determine material type/s for structural containment of molten salt technologies in nuclear processes - to be utilised by design companies in the nuclear supply chain who intend to implement molten salt technologies, like molten salt reactors and pyroprocessing. Potential for cross-over into other technology areas (see Section 2.4 below).
3) Understanding of the behaviour of nuclear graphite and other graphitic materials upon exposure to molten salt media including the impact of irradiation and interactions with radionuclides - to be utilised by molten salt reactor design companies in safety cases of molten salt reactor designs where nuclear graphite is used as moderator materials or in graphitic coated fuels.
4) Development of novel molten salt technologies for decontaminating materials from nuclear processes for reclassification to lower waste categories, and advanced processes for the effective treatment and disposal of salt-bearing nuclear waste streams as part of an integrated waste management strategy - For use by nuclear supply chain companies in decommissioning programmes. Can ensure the continuation of these companies beyond the decommissioning of the current generation of nuclear plants by providing strategies for the management of the next generation of nuclear reactors. Thereby, providing employment security and the capability to develop long-term plans for supporting local infrastructure. Benefits for the UK NDA and equivalent decommissioning bodies world-wide reducing GDF requirements and ultimately the tax-paying general public.
5) Journal and conference publications will be submitted from work performed at the MSNTL - for the benefit of the entire nuclear and molten salt technology communities. (Note: The use of Mendeley Data for the sharing of large quantities of data will be used in this programme, where appropriate. Agreements will be made between the user and the MSNTL on a case-by-case basis where open access of data may not be possible, such as IP and export control concerns.)
Organisations
- The University of Manchester (Lead Research Organisation)
- Nuclear Decommissioning Authority NDA (Collaboration)
- Washington State University (Collaboration)
- Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (Collaboration)
- Seoul National University (Collaboration)
- Penn State University (Collaboration)
- UK Atomic Energy Authority (Collaboration)
Publications

Grebennikova T
(2021)
Electrochemical decontamination of irradiated nuclear graphite from corrosion and fission products using molten salt
in Energy & Environmental Science

Mirza M
(2023)
Electrochemical processing in molten salts - a nuclear perspective
in Energy & Environmental Science

Mirza M
(2023)
Electrochemical recovery of lithium-ion battery materials from molten salts by microstructural characterization using X-ray imaging
in Cell Reports Physical Science
Description | The design of a novel systems for testing using solid adsorbents and ion exchange materials the clean-up of high temperature molten salts, including fluoride salts, from radioactive contaminants under dynamic flow has been completed. We have also successfully designed of containment systems that will allow the exposure of materials such as stainless steel to various radiation sources (e.g. alpha, gamma) while in contact with high temperature molten salts. The systems have been constructed, and after successful commissioning and testing in our newly constructed laboratory facility for the Manchester hub of the MSNTL, will be made available to the molten salts research community. |
Exploitation Route | Novel equipment to be made available to the molten salts user community with interests across molten salt reactor technologies, pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and in novel decontamination approaches. Interests have developed in the area of fusion technology particularly in the use of molten salts as tritium breeder blanket materials, and in the acquisition of fundamental physical and chemical data for which the MSNTL has focussed its capabilities upon. |
Sectors | Energy |
Description | The MSNTL facility has generated significant interest in potential use and access across the molten salt technology sector across molten salt reactor (MSR) vendors, energy storage and fusion. The Manchester hub of the facility has been recently set up within newly refurbished Nuclear Engineering, Science and Technology (NEST) Facility with investment from the University of Manchester of £1.3M which will has the infrastructure to support the preparation and handling of fluoride salts. Numerous MSR and energy storage vendor companies, and companies with interests in pyroprocessing have recently established non-disclosure agreements to allow further discussions to explore The emergence of fusion interests in molten salt technologies has led to submissions to expand the capabilities for the MSNTL in particular the ability to safely handle and study FLiBe salt with tritium where beryllium is challenging to handle due to its toxicity. |
First Year Of Impact | 2023 |
Sector | Energy |
Impact Types | Economic |
Description | Molten Salts Technology Platform |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
URL | https://www.nnl.co.uk/innovation-science-and-technology/showreel/collaborations/molten-salt-technolo... |
Description | A molten salt community framework for predictive modelling of critical characteristics |
Amount | £581,674 (GBP) |
Funding ID | EP/X011607/1 |
Organisation | Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 06/2023 |
End | 06/2026 |
Description | Advanced Fuel Cycle Programme - Pyroprocessing |
Amount | £774,982 (GBP) |
Organisation | National Nuclear Laboratory |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2020 |
End | 06/2021 |
Description | Measurement of melting point and density of fluoride salt mixtures |
Amount | £86,287 (GBP) |
Funding ID | 2055546 |
Organisation | UK Atomic Energy Authority |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 11/2021 |
End | 05/2022 |
Title | Irradiation rigs for materials testing in contact with molten salts. |
Description | Rigs for testing the materials performance of candidate containment steel and alloys when exposed to radiation fields while in contact with molten salts have been designed. The rigs will be deployed for use with the particle accelerator (alpha particle bombardment predominantly) and the Co-60 gamma irradiator at the Dalton Cumbrian Facility. The rigs are designed to accommodate various salt types including fluorides, and allow ready sampling of salt for content analysis. The rigs have been designed and are currently being constructed. It will be made available for use after commissioning and testing. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | Not yet. |
Title | Rig for testing of of solid adsorbents/ion exchange material for treatment of high temperature molten salts under dynamic flow. |
Description | This rig allows for the ready testing of solid adsorbent and ion exchange materials in the clean up of molten salts from radioactive contaminants (e.g caesium and strontium) found in the pyroprocessing of spent nuclear reactors and in the fuel of certain molten salt reactor designs. The rig is column set up that test the loading of various contaminant species onto the treatment material under dynamic flow. The rig is designed to accommodate various salt types including fluorides, and allow ready sampling of salt for content analysis. The rig has been designed and is currently being constructed. It will be made available for use after commissioning and testing. |
Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
Year Produced | 2022 |
Provided To Others? | No |
Impact | None yet. |
Description | NDA Bursary |
Organisation | Nuclear Decommissioning Authority NDA |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Student PhD project as part of the GREEN CDT looking advancing processes using molten salts to decontaminate irradiated nuclear graphite. Student training in the handling of molten salts has been performed |
Collaborator Contribution | Student supervision guidance and support from NDA, NNL and Magnox. |
Impact | The research for this project has only recently commenced. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | PSU - molten salts |
Organisation | Penn State University |
Department | Penn State Abington |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Part of the UK-US recently established relationships from the Nuclear Energy Universities Programme jointly supported by EPSRC in exploring high temperature molten salt behaviour to support developments in the pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and molten salt reactors. Our contribution in this relationship is to provide experimental support to the programme especially where the MSNTL can provide capabilities for the study of fluoride melts. |
Collaborator Contribution | Penn State University will predominantly provide contributions in computational modelling that will develop predictive capability for molten salt behaviour. |
Impact | Collaboration is multidisciplinary across chemistry and chemical engineering, and across experimental and computational activities. The collaboration has only recently commenced within a NEUP project so there are no outputs or outcomes at this stage. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Description | Seoul National University-DAWNMANTLE |
Organisation | Seoul National University |
Country | Korea, Republic of |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Studies on the contamination processes of stainless steel in molten salt process operations. Particle irradiation of stainless steel materials to mimic likely the likely radiation exposure of such materials in various nuclear operations. Preparation of materials to be used to decontamination testing. All as part of the Dawnmantle consortium supported by EPSRC (UK) and NRF (Korea) through the UK-ROK Civil Nuclear partnership. Note: this partnership originally commenced with Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) but has moved to Seoul National University following the move of Prof. Sungyeol Choi to this institute. |
Collaborator Contribution | Studies on the development of Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy to monitor molten salt compositions. Effluent treatment of possible associated waste streams from molten salt operations. All as part of the Dawnmantle consortium supported by EPSRC (UK) and NRF (Korea) through the UK-ROK Civil Nuclear partnership. |
Impact | J. T. M. Amphlett, S. Choi, S. A. Parry, E. M. Moon, C. A. Sharrad and M. D. Ogden, Insights on uranium uptake mechanisms by ion exchange resins with chelating functionalities: Chelation vs. anion exchange, Chem. Eng. J (2020) 392, 123712. DOI: 10.1016/j.cej.2019.123712 Multidisciplinary: Chemistry, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, Analytical Science |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | UKAEA-MSNTL |
Organisation | UK Atomic Energy Authority |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Preparation of a series of fluoride salts of potential interest as breeder and/or coolant media for fusion reactors, and measuring their densities in the molten state and melting points. |
Collaborator Contribution | Information regarding the motivations for salt selections for fusion, and contributions to drafting a paper output from this work which is still on going. |
Impact | Journal paper being drafted using data obtained in this work. Construction of a density measuring device for molten salts which can be made available of other users. |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | UKAEA-MSNTL-Tritium |
Organisation | UK Atomic Energy Authority |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Hosting of a PhD student project exploring the behaviour and extraction of tritium from molten salt media. Training of the student to handle and study molten salts. Project will utilise MSNTL facilities. |
Collaborator Contribution | Student supervision, guidance and support including visiting of facilities, joint meetings, and equipment and sample access. |
Impact | Student project is part of the GREEN CDT and the research has only recently commenced. |
Start Year | 2022 |
Description | Ulsan - Dawnmantle |
Organisation | Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology |
Country | Korea, Republic of |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Studies on the contamination processes of stainless steel in molten salt process operations. Particle irradiation of stainless steel materials to mimic likely the likely radiation exposure of such materials in various nuclear operations. Preparation of materials to be used to decontamination testing. |
Collaborator Contribution | Preparation of steel materials to mimic exposure in reactor operations. |
Impact | Multidisciplinary - Chemistry, Materials, Chemical Engineering |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | WSU - molten salts |
Organisation | Washington State University |
Department | Washington State University Spokane |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | Part of the UK-US recently established relationships from the Nuclear Energy Universities Programme jointly supported by EPSRC in exploring high temperature molten salt behaviour to support developments in the pyroprocessing of spent nuclear fuel and molten salt reactors. Our contribution in this relationship is to provide experimental support to the programme especially where the MSNTL can provide capabilities for the study of fluoride melts. |
Collaborator Contribution | WSU will predominantly offer computational support in developing capabilities for predicting molten salt behaviour and performance. |
Impact | This collaboration is multidisciplinary across chemistry and chemical engineering, while also covering experimental and computational activities. This collaboration has only recently commenced with a NEUP project so there are no outputs or outcomes at this stage. |
Start Year | 2023 |
Title | GRAPHITE DECONTAMINATION |
Description | The present invention relates to methods of decontaminating irradiated nuclear graphite. The method comprises immersing the irradiated nuclear graphite in a molten salt electrolyte, and subjecting the irradiated nuclear graphite to an electrochemical treatment. |
IP Reference | WO2021250413 |
Protection | Patent granted |
Year Protection Granted | 2021 |
Licensed | No |
Impact | - |
Description | EAFORM 2022 - Jeju Island |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited talk including an opening address by Clint Sharrad at EAFORM 2022 (The 7th East Asia Forum on Radwaste Management) held at Jeju Island, South Korea. Numerous requests and discussions were had from various people across mulitple nations on possible collaborative opportunities. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | International Molten Salt workshop - Seoul National University |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
Results and Impact | Invited talks delivered by Clint Sharrad and Tatiana Grebennikova from the Dawnmantle consortium and MSNTL at the International Workshop of Molten Salts Chemistry and Technologies for Nuclear Applications held at Seoul National University. The workshop had expert speakers in the molten salts area from multiple nations across both academia and industry with an audience of ~ 50 people mainly consisting of postgraduate researchers and academics across South Korea. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Molten Salts in Nuclear Technology Laboratory |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Study participants or study members |
Results and Impact | Promotion of the Molten Salts in Nuclear Technology Laboratory National Nuclear User Facility to the molten salt user community represented by the Royal Society of Chemistry Molten Salts and Ionic Liquids Discussion Group. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | OECD/NEA Expert Group on Innovative Structural Materials - High entropy alloys for advanced nuclear applications Workshop |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | The NEA Expert Group on Innovative Structural Materials (EGISM) organised a workshop together with the Spanish Center for Energy, Environmental and Technological Research (CIEMAT) on the development, potential uses, opportunities and limitations of high entropy alloys for nuclear applications. Held virtually on 19-21 October 2021, the event attracted 120 participants from 11 countries who exchanged the latest developments and innovations in the field of high entropy materials and complex concentrated alloys. The workshop opened with an overview on research and development initiatives in this field with perspectives from the People's Republic of China, the European Union and the United States. The discussions then addressed numerical design and computational approaches to develop high entropy alloys, as well as fabrication and manufacturing and microstructures and mechanical properties of high entropy alloys. Irradiation resistance of high entropy alloys and their compatibility with corrosive environments were also explored. Participants agreed on the importance of collaboration at the international level to support the acceleration of high entropy materials development for use in the nuclear industry. A broad consensus was also expressed on the need to accumulate both theoretical and experimental data on the behaviour of these materials in conditions that simulate nuclear reactor conditions. Considering the broad variety of systems included in this class of materials, efforts will be also needed to collect and systematise data in a consistent way as they are produced - especially considering the fact that research in this field heavily involves the use of machine learning techniques for both material design and material modelling purposes. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.oecd-nea.org/jcms/pl_61782/high-entropy-alloys-for-advanced-nuclear-applications |