Developers of molten salt technologies for nuclear

Cambridge Atomworks are currently working solely with US NASDAQ-listed company, Nanonuclear Energy Inc. They are rapidly developing a design for an advanced nuclear micro-reactor. The reactor will be cooled with molten salt and use conventional fuel with up to 20%  enrichment, designed for rapid deployment in off-grid locations.

 Copenhagen Atomics are developing a thorium molten salt breeder reactor, which fits inside a custom built 40 foot shipping container and can be mass manufactured on assembly lines with an expected output of minimum 1 reactor per day (per assembly line). The target customers are large plants producing commodities such as aluminium, ammonia or hydrogen

Exodys Energy is an engineering firm focused on revolutionizing the nuclear energy industry through innovative reactor designs and nuclear fuel recycling systems. They develop closed-loop, circular nuclear systems to recycle nuclear waste into clean energy, aiming to generate sustainable energy solutions from existing nuclear power plants. 

Moltex is developing a suite of reactor technologies that can be deployed individually or jointly. Moltex’s Stable Salt Reactor – Wasteburner (SSR-W), WAste To Stable Salt (WATSS) recycling process, and GridReserve thermal energy storage tanks together allow the generation of inexpensive electricity that can be dispatched as needed, complementing intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar.

 NAAREA (Nuclear Abundant Affordable Resourceful Energy for All) is a French company proposing an alternative to fossil fuels, thanks to innovative and sustainable next-generation nuclear power. NAAREA will produce carbon-free energy by reusing long-lived nuclear waste. With its nuclear microreactors, NAAREA will bring a complementary offering to the energy mix, one that is decentralized and can be installed close to industrial consumers and in remote areas. 

Newcleo are developing a MOx fuel manufacturing facility and Lead cooled Fast Reactor fleets across Europe. They are interested how molten salts can help them close their fuel cycle, minimising long lived nuclear waste.

 Nordic Salt Cycle are developing molten salt based processes for the recovery of critical and strategic materials from a variety of feedstocks. Their use of molten salts enables a low-cost, flexible and scalable process that can outcompete incumbent recovery technologies. This will provide a sustainable source of the minerals needed to accelerate the energy transition and ensure security. 

Saltfoss Energy is developing a thermal spectrum Molten Salt Reactor (CMSR). With consortium partners Samsung Heavy Industries and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), Saltfoss aim to install their reactor technology on (non-propelled) power barges serially constructed at shipyards, allowing rapid world-wide deployment.

The Power Barges are modular and can produce from 200 to 800 MW of electricity. 

TerraPower is working with Southern Company to develop a chloride based, molten salt fast reactor.

TerraPower are also developing their Natrium reactor, this sodium reactor. While this reactor is not a molten salt reactor it benefits from the use of molten salt as a heat storage medium

Terrestrial Energy's IMSR plants  

operating at 44% thermal efficiency (net), and can generate 392 megawatts of electricity from 884 megawatt of thermal reactor power. Heat at 700°C is generated from two thermal-spectrum, graphite-moderated, molten-fluoride-salt reactors.

These reactors use today’s standard nuclear fuel – comprising standard-assay low-enriched uranium (less than 5 percent U-235)

Thorizon are developing a unique molten salt reactor with patented cartridges at its heart. The Thorizon One will provide 250MW of industrial heat. This can be directly used in industrial processes, for example in the chemical industry or for hydrogen production. It can also be transformed into 100MW electricity, or 50-300MW of flexible capacity, storing energy when demand is low and releasing it during peak hours. 

The UKAEA are interested in the use of lithium molten salts for the production of tritium as a fuel for fusion reactors. Molten salt is also of interest as a potential coolant.