SMRs & ADVANCED REACTORS | THORIUM MOLTEN SALT REACTOR
Table 1: The basic specifications of the Copenhagen Atomics reactor design Parameter
Value Reactor output
Temperature provided to customers Kickstarter fuel Moderator
Neutron spectrum Fuel cycle
100 MWt 560°C LiUF4
F7
Unpressurised heavy water Thermal
Burn-then-breed
Atomics wants to do is different from other Generic Design Assessment participants since what is envisaged is a small test reactor that only generates heat and not electricity. However, there are multiple conversations going on in the UK with the government, sites and the ONR (Office for Nuclear Regulation) to explore avenues towards approval of a test reactor. Copenhagen Atomics also seeks to get the test reactor
receiving components from hundreds of sub-suppliers
and assembling reactors in sequence, with a shipment of one reactor per day. Each assembly line requires approximately 1000 people, and it should be possible to install 15 GWe of the new reactors per year. Giga-factories are likely to be located in the countries that first approve type certifications and allow fast deployment of the reactors.
● Milestone #6 is considered the most exciting as achieving a breeder reactor in the thermal spectrum can be likened to the first moon landing. This milestone holds the potential to unlock an energy source surpassing fossil fuels in both price and scaling capabilities.
While Milestone #6 may seem distant, with a potential achievement date of 2035, the progress made in the last ten years has brought Copenhagen Atomics closer to its goals. The year 2024 is anticipated to be particularly exciting for the company, marked by non-fission reactor tests, lithium 7 production, and large-scale uranium and thorium salt production and handling. Copenhagen Atomics is currently actively working on
fundraising to advance this roadmap and is actively having conversations about a host country for the test reactor. One of these conversations is with the UK, which already has a long history of nuclear technology and extensive nuclear infrastructure. Copenhagen Atomics did not enter the GDA (Generic Design Assessment) process in the UK since it was not suited to this initiative. The scope of what Copenhagen
approved in other countries and there are conversations currently underway in a number of places with announcements expected soon. Reaching such a hosting agreement should benefit both the host country, Copenhagen Atomics and the world at large.
The test reactor will pave the way towards a commercial launch. The pilot country for this technology is most likely to be the country that hosts the test reactor and will therefore be the first to get the benefits from a commercial deployment.
On the move In 2023 Copenhagen Atomics closed an investment round, raising €25m which enabled the move to a new headquarters and test facility and towards growing the company into a global leader in nuclear energy. Copenhagen Atomics moved to the previous location at Alfa Laval in 2019 and this was a similar big step up from the basement at the Technical University of Denmark, where the company started. At Alfa Laval there were real production facilities with overhead cranes, large machines and a canteen. However, the company had completely grown out of that location, and desperately needed more floor space for test and production. The new headquarters at Kastrup, close to Copenhagen airport, has an area of 11,000 m2
and
lots of space to grow into a real reactor company that delivers real commercial reactors. At the new headquarters it is not possible to run chain
reactions in real nuclear reactors, but it is possible to build full-scale non-fission prototypes and test them with thorium and uranium bearing salts using electrical heaters. Copenhagen Atomics will also run the world’s biggest thorium molten salt purification line and is now building the world’s biggest lithium 7 production line here. ■
Heating elements Cooling system
Right: Molten salt test loops. Copenhagen Atomics makes these available for sale to other molten salt researchers
Pump Salt tank 32 | June 2024 |
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