Initial fuel possibilities for the thorium molten salt reactor

The Generation IV International Forum placed six reactors as priority for research and development to compensate for the world's increasing energy demands. Among the six were Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs). These reactors utilize the Th/233U fuel cycle using molten fluoride or chloride salts as coolants. MSRs also have the possibility to use other fissile fuels especially with the first fleet of reactors given the low amount of Uranium-233 available commercially.;With the possibility of diverting from using 233U initially, the research presented here will benchmark 233U as a main fuel for MSRs using the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR) designed by Billebaud Annick and her team at the Laboratory for Subatomic Particles and Cosmology in France. Uranium-235 and Plutonium-239 will then be tested as suitable initial fuels for the first fleet of TMSRs. These fuels will be compared to the reference data based on neutron flux spectra and breeding capabilities.