Molten salt reactors

Other applications of zirconium tetrafluoride are in molten salt reactor experiments as a catalyst for the fluorination of chloroacetone to chlorofluoroacetone (17,18) as a catalyst for olefin polymerization (19) as a catalyst for the conversion of a mixture of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and ammonia (in the ratio of 1 1 3 3) to pyridine (20) as an inhibitor for the combustion of NH CIO (21) in rechargeable electrochemical cells (22) and in dental applications (23) (see Dentalmaterials). 

Table 14. Molten salt reactor experiment materials [53,54]...

Rosenthal, M.W., Kasten, P.R., and Briggs, R.B., Molten-salt reactors—history, status and potential, Nucl. Appl. Tech., 1970, 8, 107 117. 

A small portion of vinyl chloride is produced from ethane via the Transcat process. In this process a combination of chlorination, oxychlo-rination, and dehydrochlorination reactions occur in a molten salt reactor. The reaction occurs over a copper oxychloride catalyst at a wide temperature range of 310-640°C. During the reaction, the copper oxychloride is converted to copper(I) and copper(II) chlorides, which are air oxidized to regenerate the catalyst. Figure 6-1 is a flow diagram of the Transcat process for producing vinyl chloride from ethane. ... 

Processes for Paraffin Nitrations. Propane is thought to be the only paraffin that is commercially nitrated by vapor-phase processes. Temperature control is a primary factor in designing the reactor, and several approaches have been investigated. A spray mtrator in which liquid nunc acid is spiayed into hoi propane is used industiially. Relatively small-diameter tubular reactors, fluidized-bed reactors, and molten salt reactors have all been successfully used in laboratory units. 

Uranium (233U) is a fissionable isotope of uranium produced artificially by bombarding thorium-232 with neutrons. Used as an atomic fuel in molten salt reactor and is a possible fuel in breeder reactors. Half-life 1.62 x 105 years. 

A good example of the success of a molten salt reactor is the work carried out by Guang H. Lin at Texas A M University in 1997. This has led to a new method for the complete consumption of carbonaceous material at low cost. Lin introduced a mixture of papa, wood, and grass in pellets into a molten salt eutectic of KNO3, and... 

Rg. 5.64 Production of CX>2 as a function of time in a molten salt reactor of KNO3 and LiNOg. 

Use Welding and soldering flux, ceramics, heat-ex-change media, synthetic crystals in infrared and ultraviolet instruments, rocket fuel component, radiation dosimetry. Component of fuel for molten salt reactors, X-ray diffraction. 

A portion of the sodium carbonate melt is withdrawn from the molten salt reactor, quenched, and processed in an aqueous recovery system. The recovery system removes the ash and inorganic combustion products (mainly sodium salts such as NaCl and Na2S) retained in the melt. Unreacted sodium carbonate is returned to the molten salt furnace. The ash must be removed when the ash concentration in the melt approaches 20 to 25 wt % in order to preserve the melt fluidity. The inorganic combustion products must be removed before all of the sodium carbonate is completely converted to noncarbonate salts. For the case of a waste containing a valuable mineral resource, the valuable mineral resource is retained in the melt during the gasification process and may be recovered as a by-product of the regeneration process. 

Table 1.3 summarizes the materials used for the principal services in pressurized-water and boiling-water reactors, the high-temperature gas-cooled reactor, fast reactors, and the molten-salt reactor, and indicates which materials are fixed in each reactor and which flow through it. 

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