Michael A Simpson

US Patent:

20170301418, Oct 19, 2017

Filed:

Dec 15, 2016

Appl. No.:

15/380473

Inventors:

- Vancouver, CA
Michael Forrest Simpson - Salt Lake City UT, US
Edward Pheil - Delanson NY, US
Michael E. Hanson - Clifton Park NY, US

International Classification:

G21C 3/54

Abstract:

A salt composition for use as a fuel in a nuclear reactor is provided. The salt composition can include carrier salts having mixtures of one or more chloride salts or one or more chloride salts and one or more fluoride salts and fuel salts including one or more chloride salts. The carrier salts can include alkali and/or alkaline earth cations, while the fuel salts can include actinide cations. The salt composition has a lower melting temperature, less corrosive redox properties, and allows proliferation-safe retention of actinides and concurrent removal of some fission products, as compared to other salts employed in molten salt reactors. Optionally, the salt composition can include one or more metal halides for further decreasing the melting point and/or increasing the boiling point of the composition, thereby increasing the range of the liquid phase of the salt composition.

US Patent:

20170294241, Oct 12, 2017

Filed:

Nov 3, 2016

Appl. No.:

15/342513

Inventors:

- Vancouver, CA
Michael Simpson - Salt Lake City UT, US
William Wangard - Boston MA, US
Edward Pheil - Delanson NY, US

International Classification:

G21C 1/32
B01J 19/00
C23F 13/16
C23F 15/00
H01M 4/02
G21C 1/22
B01J 19/02

Abstract:

A molten salt reactor comprising a reactor vessel and a molten salt contained within the reactor vessel. There is a corrosion reduction unit configured to process the molten salt to maintain an oxidation reduction ratio, (E(o)/E(r)), in the molten salt at a substantially constant level, wherein E(o) is an element (E) at a higher oxidation state (o) and E(r) is the element (E) at a lower oxidation state (r).