Steps Forward for Copenhagen Atomics’ First Molten Salt Reactor

Copenhagen Atomics has received approval to run its radiation lab with thorium and uranium in a foreign country. 

The approval will let the company also test its components with salts containing thorium and natural uranium in order to ensure full compatibility with these salts.  

Copenhagen Atomics considers that as “a big step” towards building its first molten salt demonstration reactor.

According to the plan, the first thorium salt test should start this year, followed by applying for approval to both works with fertile salt and building a non-fission molten salt demonstration reactor in the coming years.

The Copenhagen Atomics Waste Burner (CAWB) version 0.2.3 is a 50 MW(t) heavy water moderated, single fluid, fluoride salt-based, thermal spectrum, molten salt reactor.

The core, fission product extraction and separation systems, dump tank, primary heat exchanger, pumps, valves, and compressors are all contained in a leak-tight 40-foot shipping container surrounded by a shielding blanket of frozen thorium salt.

Find more technical details in the IAEA Small Modular Reactors Book 2018.

According to IAEA, the CAWB is a challenging project, which lets the Copenhagen Atomics’ team explore new ideas and concepts.

Copenhagen Atomics was founded in 2015 by a group of passionate engineers and scientists meeting up at the Technical University of Denmark since 2013.

It is based on an open-source model, where results and findings are shared with the thorium molten salt reactor community.

In 2016, Copenhagen Atomics was part of MIMOSA, a European nuclear molten salt research consortium.