Turbocharging the Development of Liquid Salt Reactors in Krasnoyarsk Krai
Atom workers assigned to accelerate liquid salt reactor in Krasnoyarsk region.
The Russian government, Rosatom, and the Kurchatov Institute need to brainstorm strategies to expedite the creation of an investigative liquid salt reactor (IJSR) in Krasnoyarsk Krai. New equipment for the development and implementation of waste management technologies for hazardous OYAT components is planned to be set up at the Gorno-Chemical Combine.
Last week, President Vladimir Putin issued a directive to speed up the development of the IJSR and a module for processing spent nuclear fuel during a plenary session, a Visit to the Future Technologies Forum, and a meeting with scholars, which took place on February 21.
Work on the experimental reactor and other equipment are underway as part of the national project "New Atomic and Energy Technologies".
As previously reported, the decision to locate the IJSR at the site of the abandoned machine hall of the underground atomic power plant in Zheleznogorsk was made in 2020.
Research and development for the project reactor, which is being created in collaboration with numerous domestic enterprises, were completed in 2023. The sketch design of the project was developed along with the solutions required for the physical start of the equipment.
Despite the fact that the IJSR is merely the first step, it is anticipated that key technological solutions will be tested on this site. Following that, discussions of creating a full-scale liquid salt reactor for OYAT disposal can occur.
The focus is on transmuting so-called minor actinides (MA) – transuranic elements, one of the components of nuclear waste during spent fuel processing. These are the most dangerous of them.
"If we become proficient at burning MA, the period of danger will be significantly reduced, ensuring a significant reduction of waste requiring deep geological burial," explained the enrichment team at the Combine previously.
Thus, the period of potential danger for OYAT could be shortened from 10,000 years to 300 with transmutation of minor actinides. "In the medium-term future," waste devoid of MA can be stored closer to the surface.
The project is referred to as unique: it is one of the steps towards safe atomic energy of the future.
In a liquid salt reactor, as fuel salt mixtures are used, with IJSR being fto-salt-based. The engineers at the Combine are currently working on the technology for preparing these salt mixtures. Other research activities involve, for example, the refinement of technology for welding chromenickel alloys — a material previously unprecedented in Russian reactor construction.
The relevant authorities and scholars responsible for executing the directive are expected to submit their proposals for accelerating work on the creation of the investigative reactor in Zheleznogorsk by June 1.
Previously, it was reported that the license application for the site would be submitted in 2026, the construction license in 2027. The IJSR was scheduled for launch in 2031.
Photographer: Gorno-Chemical Combine
- By 2023, research and development for the project reactor, a collaboration between various domestic enterprises, will be completed, with the sketch design and necessary solutions for the physical start of the equipment finalized.
- In the medium-term future, waste devoid of minor actinides can be stored closer to the surface, reducing the period of potential danger for OYAT from 10,000 years to 300 years, thanks to the transmutation of minor actinides.
- The Russian government, Rosatom, and the Kurchatov Institute are anticipated to submit their proposals for accelerating work on the creation of the investigative liquid salt reactor (IJSR) in Zheleznogorsk by June 1.
- The focus of the project, termed unique, is on safe atomic energy of the future, with the IJSR utilizing fuel salt mixtures, particularly a ft-salt-based IJSR, and current research efforts involving the technology for preparing these salt mixtures and the refinement of technology for welding chromenickel alloys.
