Molten salt reactor
Also written MSR
Fuel DISSOLVED in the salt, which in most designs is fuel carrier and coolant at once. Distinct from a salt-cooled reactor with solid fuel; the two are often confused. Moderator, where one is used at all, is a separate design choice from the salt: thermal-spectrum MSRs are typically graphite-moderated, fast-spectrum MSRs carry no moderator.
In the record: 10 companies, 2 laboratories and programmes, 2 reactors and 8 reactor designs.
Related approaches
Broader: Salt-based
Companies 10
Laboratories and programmes 2
Reactors 2
Operating reactors first, then those being built or planned, then those shut down, suspended or cancelled.
- TMSR-LF1 Operating Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences · CN · 1 measurement
- Molten Salt Research Reactor (Abilene Christian University) Planned Abilene Christian University · US
Reactor designs 8
Size class is worked out from the electrical output of one unit: up to 10 MWe is a microreactor, up to 300 MWe a small modular reactor. A design with no stated output is not classed.
| Design | Developer | Electrical output per unit | Size class | Licensing stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compact Molten Salt Reactor (CMSR) CMSR | Saltfoss Energy | 110 MWe planned | Small modular reactor | No milestone recorded |
| Copenhagen Atomics Waste Burner CA Waste Burner, Onion Core | Copenhagen Atomics | Output not stated | Not classed | No milestone recorded |
| Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) IMSR, IMSR400 | Terrestrial Energy | 195 MWe planned | Small modular reactor | No milestone recorded |
| MSR-100 | Natura Resources | Output not stated | Not classed | No milestone recorded |
| Stable Salt Reactor - Wasteburner (SSR-W) SSR-W, SSR-W300 | Moltex Energy | 300 MWe planned | Small modular reactor | No milestone recorded |
| Stellarium | Stellaria | 110 MWe planned | Small modular reactor | No milestone recorded |
| ThorCon ThorCon 500, TMSR-500 | ThorCon International | 250 MWe planned | Small modular reactor | No milestone recorded |
| Thorizon One Thorizon | Thorizon | 100 MWe planned | Small modular reactor | No milestone recorded |
Measurements
1 reactor using this approach carries 1 measurement: 1 claimed. The values, each with its status and source, are on the benchmark and on each device's page. Most measured: TMSR-LF1 (1).
Guides
- Find companies by reactor type How to list the companies working on one kind of fusion machine or fission reactor, using the companies directory, the technology pages and the device table.
- Reactor types explained The three questions that classify any fission reactor, and how pressurised water, boiling water, heavy water, gas-cooled, salt-cooled, molten-salt, sodium, lead and heat-pipe reactors each answer them.
Molten salt reactor in the glossary · Fission overview · All approaches