MOLTEN SALT FUEL VERSION OF LASER INERTIAL FUSION …

Draft 11/3/08 11:25 AM TOFE11/3.doc Paper No. 8166 UCRL-JR-408337

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MOLTEN SALT FUEL VERSION OF LASER INERTIAL FUSION FISSION ENERGY (LIFE)

R. W. MOIR1, H. F. SHAW1, A. CARO1, L. KAUFMAN2, J. F. LATKOWSKI1. J. POWERS3, P.E.A.TURCHI1

1Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA, [email protected],Inc, 140 Clark Road, Brookline, MA 02445, [email protected]

3UC Berkeley, Nuclear Engineering, [email protected]

ABSTRACT

Molten salt with dissolved uranium is beingconsidered for the Laser Inertial Confinement FusionFission Energy (LIFE) fission blanket as a backup in casea solid-fuel version cannot meet the performanceobjectives, for example because of radiation damage of thesolid materials. Molten salt is not damaged by radiationand therefore could likely achieve the desired high burnup(>99%) of heavy atoms of 238U. A perceived disadvantageis the possibility that the circulating molten salt could lenditself to misuse (proliferation) by making separation offissile material easier than for the solid-fuel case. Themolten salt composition being considered is the eutecticmixture of 73 mol% LiF and 27 mol% UF4, whose meltingpoint is 490°C. To minimize corrosion of structuralmaterials, the molten salt would also contain a smallamount (~1 mol%) of UF3. The same beryllium neutronmultiplier could be used as in the solid fuel case;alternatively, a liquid lithium or liquid lead multipliercould be used. Insuring that the solubility of Pu3+ in themelt is not exceeded is a design criterion. The use of 232Thas a fuel is also being studied. (232Th does not produce Puunder neutron irradiation.) The temperature of the moltensalt would be ~550°C at the inlet (60°C above the solidustemperature) and ~650°C at the outlet. To mitigatecorrosion of the steel, a refractory coating such as tungstensimilar to the first wall facing the fusion source issuggested in the high-neutron-flux regions; and in low-neutron-flux regions, including the piping and heatexchangers, a nickel alloy, Hastelloy, would be used.These material choices parallel those made for the MoltenSalt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) at ORNL. The nuclearperformance is better than the solid fuel case. At thebeginning of life, the tritium breeding ratio is unity and theplutonium production rate is ~0.6 atoms per 14.1 MeVneutron.

I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

As a backup to the solid-fuel version of Laser InertialConfinement Fusion Fission Energy (LIFE)1 we areconsidering the use of a molten salt fuel consisting of UF4,ThF4, or a combination of both, dissolved in flibe. If the

solid fuel options are unable to achieve the high burnup(>0.95 fissions per initial heavy metal atom, usuallywritten as 95% FIMA) desired for the LIFE mission due toradiation damage, then molten salt fuels offer an attractivealternative because they do not suffer radiation damage. Adisadvantage of molten salt fuels is they circulate outsidethe reactor and must undergo some amount of processingduring operation of the reactor. This could potentiallyprovide opportunities to access the fissile materials in thefuel, and hence raises proliferation concerns that can beaddressed by safeguards. If the solid fuels cannot achievethe desired burnup in a single fueling step, then they, too,would need to undergo processing for further burning, sothis processing comparative disadvantage would go away.

We assume the fusion systems (laser, target, fusionpower, tritium system, chamber clearing) are the same asfor the main solid fuel case and refer the reader to otherpapers2,3. The first wall is also the same.

We find that the nuclear performance of the moltensalt case is similar enough to the solid fuel case that weonly consider the differences in the system. We find theneed to coat the steel with either tungsten or nickel tomitigate corrosion of structural materials by the moltensalt. With molten salts there has always been the issue ofhow much plutonium and other actinides can be allowed tobuild up before some begins to precipitate out, that is,before the solubility limit for a Pu-containing phase isexceeded in the coldest part of the system. Because thetrivalent rare-earth elements (REE), which are high-abundance fission products, behave similarly to Pu3+, it isthe sum of these that cannot exceed about 2 mol% at 600°C. This limitation will need to be verified by more studyand experiments and leads us to consider processing themolten salt to remove the rare-earth fission products. Howthis processing impacts the nonproliferation assessmentneeds study.

Four possible missions for LIFE

With the same neutron source, the blanket can bedesigned for different missions. The following are foursuch possible missions for LIFE to consider.

1- The power mode with its own wastes burned.238U (depleted uranium) and or 232Th dissolved in moltensalt and burned to completion (FIMA----->100%).


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2- The power mode with spent nuclear fuel burned.Remove cladding from spent fuel, reduce oxides andconvert to fluorides and dissolve in molten salt and burn tocompletion (FIMA----->100%).

3- The Pu and minor actinides burner. Removecladding from spent fuel, separate the 238U, and burn tocompletion the Pu and minor actinides (FIMA---->100%).The Pu could be burned in fission reactors leaving only theminor actinides to burn in LIFE. The feedstock could alsobe surplus weapons-grade Pu.

4-The fuel factory mode. 232Th dissolved inmolten salt; remove 233U for use in fission clientreactors (232U/233U>>2.4% for non-proliferation)a

fission is suppressed, FIMA<<100%.Preliminary studies indicate that keeping the

concentration of (Pu, REE)F3 below ~2 mol% is needed toprevent precipitation of an actinide+rare-earth elementsolid-solution phase. This would suggest replacing some ofthe U in the melt with Th because this would reduce theamount of Pu generated. We could start with a smallamount of UF4, for example 2 mol% and ThF4 22 mol%,or even have no UF4. This would be appropriate if weremoved the uranium in spent fuel and feed the Pu andminor actinides to LIFE for burning. The Pu productionwould be greatly reduced and one could add Pu just as it isburned and keep it below the solubility limit. Even with anall Th system we would need to ensure the REE do notexceed their solubility limit.

II. LIFE mechanical design summary

The LIFE engine configuration is shown in Fig. 1 withthe main parameters in Table I.

Fig. 1. Molten salt blanket for the LIFE engine.

a. The dose rate at 1 m from 5 kg of 233U one year after chemicalseparation is 100 rem/hr or 1 Sv/hr for 232U/233U =2.4%.

Thermal hydraulic designs and calculations for thetemperature distribution in the primary loop of LIFE with amolten salt fuel yield initial estimates for the temperaturesat key points given in Table II. An estimate of the liquidustemperature from phase relationships in the PuF3-UF4-ThF4-LiF system is ~610°C for a melt containing 2mol%PuF3. The coldest part of the heat exchanger needs to besafely above the liquidus temperature so we have assumeda 30°C margin, giving Tcold=640°C. Assuming anadditional 30°C drop across the boundary layer of themolten salt results in an inlet temperature to the molten saltblanket of Tin=670°C. If the molten salt in the blanketheats up by 50°C due to fission, then the blanket outlettemperature is Tout=720°C. If the hottest part of theblanket is cooled by the exiting molten salt with sameboundary-layer drop as assumed before (30°C), then thestructural hot spot temperature is Tstructural hot spot =750°C.If the hottest part of the structure is cooled with other thanexiting flibe then Tstructural hot spot = Tout = 720°C. Theimportant temperatures are constrained by (Pu, REE)F3solubility considerations on the low end to structuralmaterials temperatures limits on the high end.

TABLE I.Typical LIFE engine parameters.

First wall radius, m 2.5Beryllium zone thickness, m 0.15Molten salt zone thickness, m 0.5Laser energy in, MJ 1.3Target gain 29Fusion yield, MJ 38Pulse rate, Hz 13.3Fusion power, MW 500Blanket thermal power, MW 2000 to 2600

Neutron wall load, MW/m2

5.1

Surface heat load, MW/m2 1.3

Net electric power, MWe 700 to 900

Fig. 2. Illustration of LIFE blanket and flow loop.


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TABLE II.Temperature at key points in the molten salt loop.

Tstructure hot spot 720 to 750°CTout 720°C

Tin 670°CTcold 640°C

Tmelt 610°C

III. Structural materials

The radiation damage considerations for the steel usedfor molten salt version of LIFE are very similar to theversion using solid fuel. However, corrosion is specific tothe molten salt fuel design.

The molten salt containing UF4 and ThF4 isaggressive towards corrosion of structural materials. Ourchoices are:

1-use a frozen salt layer on the structural material toslow corrosion

2-use stainless steel (304) and allow leaching to enrichnickel on the surface to look like Hastelloy

3-coat steel with Mo, W or Ni to inhibit corrosion.We cannot use the frozen layer approach to corrosion

inhibition because of the potential for accumulation ofsolids containing fissile materials (e.g., Pu) in the layer,with attendant criticality concerns. We cannot use 300-series stainless steel for first wall materials because thethermal conductivity is two to three times lower than forferritic steel, an important parameter in thermal stressanalyses, and the radiation damage is more severe in 300-series austenitic steel than it is in ferritic steel. This leavesus with using coatings for corrosion resistance. Tungsten isassumed for the first wall and could be used to coat thestructural components that face the molten salt. A study ofthe coating of steel with W as armor for the first wallseems to show no problem with regard to fatigue at theinterface. Iron and W form stable intermetallics and thebonding is very good.4 The choice of coating materialneeds further study.

IV. Molten salt composition

To have a better appreciation of what the issues are,let us consider the phase diagram of the binary molten salt,LiF-UF4 that is shown in Figure 3. The curve thatdelineates the high-temperature region of the phasediagram defines the domains of stability of the liquid (athigh temperatures) and of the solid or a mixture of solidand liquid (at low temperatures). The lowest meltingtemperature is about 490°C at the composition 0.73 LiF-0.27 UF4. The phase diagram for the binary molten salt,LiF-ThF4, is shown in Figure 4. The lowest melting

temperature is about 570 °C with ThF4 ranging between 21and 29 mol%. Finally, Figure 5 shows the LiF-PuF3 phasediagram. The eutectic temperature in this system is about740°C at ~20 mol% PuF3 and even more at lowerconcentration. The high melting point is the source ofsolubility concerns that will be discussed more later. Theactual system of interest will be combinations of thesethree binary phase diagrams along with fission products.

Fig. 3. LiF-UF4 phase diagram5.

Fig. 4. LiF-ThF4 phase diagram.5

Fig. 5. LiF-PuF3 phase diagram.6

Liquidregion


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V. Neutronics performance

Preliminary studies of molten salt candidates for LIFEwere performed by P. Song7 and more extensive studieswere carried out by J. Powers8. The results of that workare summarized here. The starting composition of themolten salt was: LiF (76 mol%) + UF4 (12 mol%) + ThF4(12 mol%). The mixture of U and Th was used to lower thepeak concentration of Pu in the salt. With a steady 500MW of fusion power, the total thermal power was kept at2000 MW by adjusting the 6Li to 7Li ratio. Graphite wasadded as a moderator. The optimum discussed in thePowers report was 70 vol% graphite and 30 vol% moltensalt. The results of the burn calculations are illustrated inFigure 6. As Pu and 233U build up, the fission powerrapidly rises to the total desired power of 2000 MW andstays at this level for almost 60 years. Then, as the fertileplus fissile inventory is exhausted, the power declines untilFIMA of 99% is reached As expected, the performance issomewhat better than for the solid fuel case owing to theabsence of the two fission product classes: gases, Kr andXe and the noble and semi-noble metals (see discussion ofprocessing below).

Fig. 6 Power Curves for molten salt fuel compared to solidfuel.

0.1%

1.0%

10.0%

100.0%

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70Time (years)

mol

%

Li U ThPu+Np+Am+Cm Pu REEZr Ba CsSr Y TePu+Np+Am+Cm+REE

Fig. 7. Evolution of the molten salt composition with time.

The evolution of the composition of the molten saltfor this case is shown in Figure 7. The Pu concentrationpeaked at 2.2 mol%, and the concentration of all thetransuranic elements (Pu+Np+Am+Cm) is only slightlylarger than Pu alone. This plot also shows the real issue,namely that the sum of the trivalent actinides and rare-earth elements (REE) would approach 10 mol% in the salt.These elements essentially behave as a single element inmolten fluoride salts, and form a mixed actinide+REEtrifluoride solid solution. The solubility of this phase, aswe discuss below, is only on the order of 1-3 mole% inlow-BeF2 compositions (Figure 11). A salt compositioncontaining 10 mol% trivalent actinides and REE wouldtherefore precipitate this solid trifluoride. We thereforeneed to keep the dashed line in Figure 7 below theappropriate solubility (i.e., the solubility at the minimumtemperature of the low-temperature loop). This will requireremoval of the REE during operation. Going to a Th fuelcycle will not help the REE solubility problem because thehigh-mass peak of the fission yield curve for 233U still liesin the region of the light REE; however, no Pu is made.

Another set of neutronics calculations was performedassuming removal of REE as well as the noble gases andnoble/semi-noble metals and, as expected, the performancewas a somewhat better, but similar to that shown inFigures 6 and 7.

The evolution of salt composition during the burn forthis case is shown in simplified form in Figure 8. The Pupeaked at 2.3 mol% and the Pu+Np+Am+Cm peaked at2.5%.

Fig. 8. Simplified evolution of the molten saltcomposition with time, assuming REE removal

In order to reduce the peak PuF3 concentration, a casewas run for 6 mol% UF4 and 18 mol% ThF4 and the peakPu concentration dropped to 1.2 mol%.

An inventory of 233U and Pu builds up to a peak ofabout 2 tons peak during the burn. The U is self protected


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somewhat by the buildup of 232U as is shown by Figures 9and 10.

1.0E+03

1.0E+04

1.0E+05

1.0E+06

1.0E+07

1.0E+08

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70Time (Years)

Mas

s (g

)

Th232U233U232

Fig. 9. Time-dependent Isotopic Masses.

0

0.01

0.02

0.03

0.04

0.05

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Time, y

23

2U

/2

33U

Fig. 10. 232U/233U ratio versus burn time.

If we wanted to use LIFE in a breeder mode, wewould process fissile material before it is allowed to buildup and fission; that is, suppress fissioning. Our preliminarywork found a breeding ratio of about 0.6 at the beginningof life of a LIFE engine. That is, 0.6 fissile atoms areproduced for each fusion neutron produced. This amountsto about 1000 kg per 500 MWfusion·year. In the case of afertile, Th-only blanket, the fissile product would be 233U,which would be separated from the molten salt byfluorination. The 232U that is also produced would selfprotect this material, somewhat reducing proliferationconcerns; nevertheless, the facility would need to besafeguarded. In this case the 232U fraction of the productmight be higher than that shown in Figure 10 owing to thebuildup of 231Pa and lower concentration of 233U, and theratio of 232U/233U would be well over 2.4%. With232U/233U=10% the dose rate at 1 m from 5 kg of bare233U one year after separation is 420 rem/hr or 4.2 Sv/hrwhich would make this materials rather unattractive to anaspiring proliferant.

VI. Solubility of plutonium and rare-earth elements

As can be seen in Figure 11, the solubility of PuF3 isdependent on the molten salt composition and temperature.At low BeF2 fraction the solubility can be above 2 mol% at640 °C. Lowering the PuF3 fraction will allow loweringthe coldest operating point of the molten salt.

VII. Processing and clean up

Some fission products in a molten salt reactor areremoved almost automatically and some can be removedby applying processes to side streams. In addition it isnecessary in any molten salt system to clean up the moltensalt including what is called “doctoring.” This process cantake place continuously or in batch mode. Impurities andoxygen must be removed. Hydro-fluorination is commonlyused to remove moisture. The salt is kept reduced tocontrol corrosion of structural materials by keeping theratio of UF3/UF4 ≈0.05 as a buffering agent.

Fig. 11. PuF3 solubility as a function of temperature.9

Gas spargingBubbles of inert gas, He, are injected into the molten

salt flow. This serves to sparge gaseous fission products,including the volatile fluorides. In this way, 85Kr (T1/2 =11 y), 133Xe (T1/2 = 5.2 d), and 135Xe (T1/2 = 9.1 h) areremoved in an estimated time of 50 s10. These gases areheld up in pressurized vessels and allowed to decay tostable 85Rb and 133Cs, and long-lived (T1/2 =2.3 x 106 y)135Cs. This last nuclide would need to be combined withthe alkali waste stream from the final processing of themolten salt at the end of the engine’s life and immobilizedin a waste form for disposal in a repository.


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Precipitation extraction

The noble and semi-noble metal fission products donot form soluble fluoride complexes at the fluoridepotential of the melt and are insoluble. They are: Zn, Ga,Ge, As, Nb, Mo, Tc, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, and Sb.Experience with the ORNL Molten Salt ReactorExperiment (MSRE)11 suggests that these elements formmulti-atom metallic clusters in the melt. In the MSRE,some of these elements were removed as particulates in thesparge gas, some plated out on the metal walls of blanketstructures and piping and heat exchangers, and theremaining fraction circulated in the molten salt. Theproportion of these elements in each of these reservoirsvaried unpredictably during operation of the MSRE, andadditional study of the chemical behavior of theseelements will be needed.

If these elements circulate many times around thepumped circuit before plating out it may be possible topreferentially capture them on filters in a slipstreamprocess loop in a time estimated at 2.4 h. One suggestion isto pass the molten salt through a nickel wire filter whereplating occurs. Another suggestion is to use a centrifuge toenhance or concentrate these elements. This would beeffective if precipitation is occurring homogeneouslythroughout the molten salt, so that these elements arepresent in the salt as solid metallic particles. If, however,precipitation is occurring preferentially heterogeneously atmetal surfaces then centrifugation would not be veryeffective. We need to consult those more familiar with theproblem to make a prediction of which mechanism is mostoperative.

Cowell et al. suggested12 electro-winning as ameans to remove the noble and semi-noble metals from thefluoride salt blanket of an accelerator-based conversion(ABC) scheme for transmuting surplus Pu. Electro-winning is commonly used in industry (e.g., it is the solecommercial method for producing aluminum) to yield puremetals from oxide or halide feed materials that have beendissolved in a molten salt. In the case of LIFE, we areinterested in the inverse problem, namely the cleanup of amolten salt rather than the production of a pure metal. Inthe case of a beryllium-containing salt (e.g., flibe), theelectro-winning system would use an electrochemical cellconsisting of a consumable anode fabricated from metallicBe, and a Ni cathode onto which the noble/seminoblemetals and zirconium are plated. The reaction thatdescribes the process is

n Be(s) + 2 MFn(salt) = n BeF2(salt) + 2 M(s)

So long as the free energy difference between BeF2and MFn is negative, this reaction will be spontaneous;thus, the cell could be operated passively. Cowell et al.further suggest that the application of an externally

generated potential difference between the electrodeswould enhance the rate of mass transfer. Theelectrochemical potentials of plutonium, other actinides,and lanthanides lie between those of beryllium and lithium,so this process will not remove these elements from themolten salt. In addition to removing fission product metals,the cell could also provide control of the redox potential ofthe fuel salt. These elements would then be in metallicform, and ready to be converted to an appropriate wasteform discussed in the next section.

The remaining fission product classes form stablefluorides and will circulate in the molten salt. They can beremoved if we wish to add the necessary processequipment (metal transfer/reductive extraction).

Metal transfer/reductive extraction of fluorides

Considerable work has been conducted on theselective extraction of elements from molten fluoride saltsinto liquid metals. Partitioning data for many of theelements of interest are available for extraction into moltenbismuth with variable amounts of lithium added as areductant13. This process can be described by the reaction:

MFn(salt) + n Li(Bi) = M(Bi) + nLiF(salt),

where MFn is a metal fluoride dissolved in the molten salt.This process can remove noble and semi-noble metals, theactinides, Y, the REE, and Zr. In the LIFE application, weare primarily interested in removing fission product REEfrom the salt, while leaving the actinides and other fissionproducts in the salt so they can be transmuted. Thisappears to be possible using a sequential extraction of theactinides and REE into molten Bi:Li, followed byextraction of the REE into a molten LiCl salt. Theseparated actinides would be electrolytically transferredfrom Bi:Li back into the fuel salt. A simplified conceptualflow sheet for this process is shown below.

Fig. 12. Conceptual scheme for REE removal.


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Considerable research on processing has been done that wehope will be applicable or can be modified for the LIFEapplication.

VIII. Waste streams from processing suitable fordisposal

Because the processes that will be used for the on-lineand end-of-life processing have not been determined, it isdifficult to be specific about the nature of the wastestreams resulting from these processes. Nevertheless, onecan guess that they will be similar to those of theelectrometallurgical process developed by ArgonneNational Laboratory (ANL) for a variety of spent nuclearfuels14. One might therefore expect the waste streams froma LIFE engine to include a metallic waste streamcontaining Zr and the noble/semi-noble metals (e.g., Mo,Nb, Ru, Rh, Ag, Cd, Tc), and at least one additional wastestream containing the REE, along with some actinides,alkalis, and alkaline earths. The chemical form of thissecond waste stream is not well defined – most likely itwould be a fluoride or chloride stream; however it couldbe an oxide stream or some other material, depending onthe nature of the on-line processing used. In the case ofthe ANL electrometallurgical process, this streamconsisted of a chloride salt.

In addition to these two (or more) streams, there willbe the waste stream generated by the offgas treatmentprocess. As discussed above, the radioactive noble gasessparged from the molten salt during operation will eitherdecay to stable isotopes of Rb and Cs, or to long-lived135Cs, which will need to be separated and combined withthe alkali-containing waste stream generated by directtreatment of the salt. The offgas will also contain somequantity of other chemical species that have high vaporpressure in molten fluoride salts (e.g., ZrF4, I2), as well asentrained particles of salt.

Waste forms suitable for disposal

Assuming the waste streams outline above, one canfurther assume that one of the final waste forms from amolten-salt-fueled LIFE engine will be a metallic alloy.For the metal waste form resulting from theirelectrometallurgical process (which was already Zr-richdue to the presence of Zircaloy cladding hulls in this wastestream), ANL added additional Zr to produce a lowermelting point alloy, and to improve the corrosion behaviorof the alloy under repository conditions. At this point, onecannot predict what types of further processing will beneeded to convert the metallic waste stream into an alloythat has good performance characteristics as a waste form.This will only be possible once process flow sheets andmaterial balance estimates are available for proposedprocessing systems for a molten-salt LIFE engine.

Nevertheless, the development of a suitable metallic wasteform should be a relatively straightforward matter.

The waste stream containing the REE, actinides,alkalis, and alkaline earths is more problematic than themetal waste form. If a process similar to that shown inFigure 12 is used, in which the REE are separated into aLiCl salt, then the process used for converting chloride saltwaste stream of ANL electrochemical process to a formacceptable for disposal in a repository could be adapted forthis wastestream. The ANL process involved occludingthe molten chloride salt within the channels and cages ofan alumino-silicate zeolite, then mixing this “salt-loaded”zeolite with a borosilicate glass frit, and sintering themixture in a hot isostatic press. The resulting waste formconsists of a multi-phase, glass-bonded ceramic. If theREE stream consists of a fluoride salt, however, thisapproach is unlikely to work. Molten fluoride salts are notcompatible with silicates, due to the formation of stable(and highly volatile) SiF4. A silicate- or aluminosilicate-dominated waste form is unlikely to be possible for LIFEwastes unless the waste stream is first processed to removethe bulk of the fluoride. Although there are fluoride-containing crystalline silicates, and some level of fluoridecan be tolerated, the presence of fluoride in a silicate glasswaste-form will severely degrade the long-termperformance of the glass.

Little work has been done to develop waste forms forfluoride–containing waste streams; however, there arenumerous options that could be explored for immobilizingeither a fluoride salt, or a fluoride-contaminated oxidewaste stream. The possibility of reacting the fluoride saltswith phosphate-, titanate-, or zirconate-containingprecursors to produce suitable phosphate (e.g., monazite,apatite), titanate (e.g., pyrochlore, hollandite), or zirconate(e.g., fluorite-structure REE-zirconate) phases should beexplored. If the fluoride salt is first converted to an oxide,then production of either a glass, or a multi-phase ceramicinvolving the above-mentioned phases would be astraightforward extension of previous work. These, andrelated, phases are known to accept actinides, rare-earthelements, and alkaline earths into their structures, and havea history and relevant scientific literature to draw upon.More speculative possibilities that might be produceddirectly from a fluoride salt, but for which there are littleliterature data, include such exotic phases such ashsianghualite (nominally Ca3Li2Be3(SiO4)3F2), semenovite( n o m i n a l l y ( C a , C e , L a , N a )10-

12(Fe++,Mn)(Si,Be)20(O,OH,F)4 8 , nareniobsite(NbNa3Ca3(Ce,La)(Si2O7)2OF3), and a host of othernaturally occurring mineral phases. Clearly, the possiblechemistry is rich, and poorly explored to date.Unfortunately, this also means that the de novodevelopment and qualification of a completely novelwaste-form will take more time than following apreviously explored path.


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IX. ECONOMICS

An Excel-based systems code is being developed forthe solid-fueled version of LIFE. The code containscosting for all the major subsystems including fission fuelfabrication, fusion fuel targets, laser, engine, powerconversion and other balance of plant systems, and end-of-life spent fuel containment. Work will be needed to addsubsystems and features unique to the molten-salt versionof LIFE so that systems can be compared on a consistentbasis. The question is how to properly credit LIFE for itsability to destroy weapons Pu or long-lived waste fromSNF. For example if the estimated cost of electricity ishigher than competing options, the additional operatingcost can be assigned to the material destruction mission. Inthat way, one can calculate the cost per unit massdestroyed. This cost can be expressed in dollars per ton ofPu burned and compared to other proposed uses of this Puor methods of disposing of this Pu such as burning inLWRs as mixed oxide fuel (MOX).

Strategy for Future Work and gaps in knowledge

We expect to need more study of the phase diagramsrelevant to this system, including PuF3 and fissionproducts, especially the REE. Processing to remove REEfission products will be studied and wasteforms suitablefor geological disposal will need to be identified anddeveloped. Economic analyses can be performed to assessthe value of burning actinides to a high degree.

The opportunities offered by molten salts as candidatefuels in general, and more specifically in the context ofLIFE, Gen-IV and the thorium cycle option, should lead toincreased interest. Future studies should be undertaken infive areas: fuel salt chemistry, design and safety, reactorphysics, fuel salt clean-up (salt control, online processingand reprocessing, waste form and waste disposal), andmaterials and corrosion.

An integrated materials design and testing facility willbe required to make an optimal choice of salt for the LIFEengine. Salt chemistry, corrosion chemistry, and alloyselection should be jointly studied, and the establishmentof a coordinated effort with other activities carried out forthe Gen-IV molten-salt fueled reactor should beconsidered.

We need to determine the radiation damage lifetime ofthe moderator graphite. We need to develop the design inthe direction of steady-state operation allowed by havingprocessing of fission products.

X. Conclusions

We have considered substituting molten saltcontaining the same actinides that the solid fuel missionwas considering in a very preliminary study. Corrosion of

the structural steel is mitigated by use of nickel or tungstenplating. As transuranic (primarily Pu) and rare-earthelements are produced during operation of the LIFEengine, they would exceed their solubility limit of about 2mol%. The separation of these rare-earth elements willtherefore be needed. The neutronic performance is betterthan for the solid fuel case as a result of the removal ofneutron-absorbing fission products. Processing also allowsthe continuous feed of materials and steady-state operationthat will improve economics. The impact of processing onnonproliferation need study. Whether LIFE goals can stillbe sufficiently met with the molten salt design is a keyunanswered question. We call for more study of thesolubility and processing question that will go hand inhand with the blanket design and optimization. The cost ofthe molten salt option has not yet been estimated.

XI. Acknowledgments

Work by Peter Song on neutronics is appreciated. JeffPowers carried this work on and made extensive casestudies reported on here. Work performed under theauspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by LawrenceLivermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

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MOLTEN SALT FUEL VERSION OF LASER INERTIAL FUSION …