Publication Plan

The purpose of this document is to record the concept and motivation for various publications I hope to have. Listing a publication here is by no means an indication of commitment to completing each publication during course of my studies.

Past Publications

• To Be Filled After Publication -

Current Research Efforts

A Scoping Study for the Development of a Corrosion Chemistry Digital Twin Supporting the Operation of Molten Fluoride Salt Systems

Purpose Statement To Introduce the work our team intends to do by putting it in the context of work that has already been done.

This work would include a detailed literature review on all subjects related to the development of a simple 1-D corrosion/plating model that can be integrated into the MIT flow loop digital twin. Subjects will include a historical review of Molten Salt Reactor Technology, A review of Corrosion Research, an explanation of the physics of MSRs and how chemistry changes assumptions held for traditional reactors. A summary of existing computational tools related to our work will also be central to this paper.

Story Synopsis Digital twin technologies offer many advantages when applied to nuclear systems. Molten Salt reactors offer many market advantages. If we can construct digital twins alongside their physical Molten SaLT counterparts, we can streamline the adoption and safe deployment of both Technologies. UT is trying to do just that. We have recognized that one of the distinctive characteristics of MSR operation is their complex chemistry. Current work to introduce chemistry into the multiphysics simulation of reactors is... These things still need to be done ... This is what we plan to do.

Outcomes

• A comprehensive review of available simulation tools related to this work

• A clear understanding of any experimental research gaps that may need to be addressed before such a tool can be validated

• A statement of the gaps in available computational tools which can support the development of chemistry digital twins

• A proposed path forward

The Design and Demonstration of a Simulation Surrogacy Method for the the Study of MSR Lifecycle Chemistry

Purpose Statement To publish a methodology and a open source tool which uses chemical similarity to group the hundreds of isotopes found in a reactor into a small set of elements able to be represented by available data.

Before Leaving UT, Loc Duong designed a tool which can take a SCALE output file and create input files for thermochimica. The work introduces this tool and also suggests methods for redox control through the periodic addition of Be. It also discusses operational boundaries to avoid the formation of UF6 or the deposition of U.

In the reworked paper we will change the focus away from chemistry control towards the development of a “simulation surrogacy” tool which will take the large array of isotopes in the SCALE simulation and condense them to the limited chemical selection available in the MSTDB (Molten Salt Thermochemical Database). We will name this methodology and seek to justify it as the optimal solution to limited chemical selection. We will also attempt to quantify the error we might expect to see from such a simplification.

Story Synopsis The Chemistry of Molten salt fueled reactors can be complex when we must account for the production of fission products the transmutation of existing species and the shifting redox state of an ionic solution. However, it is vital to the safe and efficient operation of these systems, that we understand how each species and phase behaves throughout the life of the reactor. Through computational simulations of this chemistry we can understand proper operating conditions for these systems and ensure their safety. For this simulations to be accurate, experimental thermochemistry data is needed. The MSTDB effort is looking to expand available thermochemistry data. Though the work is progressing, experimental constraints limit the speed at which this data can be produced and made available. To bridge this gap in data, we propose a method for grouping isotopes into chemically similar :simulation surrogates". Justification for this methodology is given and the error we can expect in our simulation is quantified. We demonstrate the utility of this tool by simulating an MSR salt lifecycle. We identify the most important information gaps and explain how the tool would change should those gaps be filled.

Outcomes

• Publish a Refined Version of Loc’s Tool for others to use

• Determine the most important gaps in the MSTDB

• Develop a clear and published understanding of what error we can expect from this type of simulation, informing us of current limitations of future chemistry control studies.

• Demonstrate the potential applications of such a tool for MSR Lifecycle Chemistry or for similar Fuel Cycle Studies

Possible Future Work

The Design and Development of a Single Dimensional Corrosion Model for Molten Salt Digital Twin Applications

Purpose Statement To introduce a 1-D corrosion model and describe how adjustments have been made to account for complexities not captured by the model (grain boundary atack) and to then demonstrate how this model can be used to inform the operation of the MIT Molten Salt Loop.

Story Synopsis 1-D simulations of corrosion have traditionally struggled with accuracy because of complexities such as... More accurate tools exist, however these are computationally expensive. For chemistry to be incorporated into a digital twin we need a reliable, less exhaustive method for predicting corrosion effects. This work attempts to accomplish this by ...

Outcomes

• The publication of a repository with the tool I built and a description of its proven use cases and limitations
• A Journal or conference publication of
• A step stool for future work including the design of remote corrosion detection system.

An Exploration of Possible Methods for Remote Corrosion Detection in Irradiated Fluoride Molten Salts Through the use of Gamma Spectroscopy

Purpose Statement To suggest 2-3 methods by which the remote detection of corrosion may be accomplished.

This paper will propose and evaluate several methods by which a radio tracer may become activated and then detected when significant levels of corrosion are occuring. Some of the concepts that may be explored are included here:

1. Unassisted Detection: A natural tracer is created when the steel corrodes and activates one of the alloyed metals inside. This activated alloy component then produces a strong enough gamma signature that it can be detected despite large amounts of background.

2. A) Sacrificial Anode: A sacrificial anode whose corrosion and subsequent activation indicates the shifting redox state of the salt before major structural damage occurs. B) Dopped Sacrificial Anode: In this concept the sacrificial anode is doped either by alloying or heavy element bombardment so that at a prescribed extent of corrosion the radio tracer is released and activated.

3. Collection Cathode: Where there is a natural radio tracer but its signal is too diffuse to serve as a strong indication of corrosion, this signal may be concentrated through the deposition of the material on an appropriately placed electrode.

The 1-D corrosion tool developed previously would be used to test these concepts to determine the rate and possible concentrations of tracer. These concentrations would then be passed to the SCALE team to be irradiated and to determine whether or not they would show up on the gamma detector.

Story Synopsis It is important to monitor the corrosion occurring in our molten salt systems. Accurate detection and control of corrosion will be key to ensuring the safe, long-lived operation of future MSRs. Electrochemical sensors offer may advantages but are still under development and are not yet sufficiently robust to withstand the harsh MSR environment. Some work has been done using gamma detectors to indicate... This work will examine if those same gamma detectors can be used to indicate the extent of corrosion occurring in the system.

Outcomes

• Publication and Conference
• Research Grant Proposal
• Possible Patent

Predicting Corrosion and Material Deposition in a Heated Molten Fluoride Salt System

Purpose Statement In this paper we would mesh a non-isothermal molten salt loop, solving our simple corrosion model for each segment and having each salt segment run thermochimica. This would be tied to a 1-dimensional transport code which would bring the species into the next cell.

Story Synopsis

Outcomes

• Demonstration of efficacy of Corrosion Digital Twin
• Explorations of Radiation Corrosion impacts and how the tool would need to be adapted to account for this.

Title

Purpose Statement

Story Synopsis

Outcomes

The Purpose Tree for my Work

1. The world Need Sustainable, Affordable Energy and the Deployment of this Energy Must be done in a Just and Equitable Fashion so that All peoples may be Benefited by an Abundance Of Power
2. Fission Power is the next rung in the energy density ladder. Post 1970's nuclear accidents it was never scaled to its full abilities, allowing fossil fuels to entrench themselves in our lives and economies by offering a variety of products to buffer their economic fortune against the ebb and flow of the energy market.
3. Nuclear has several advantages which may prove competitive against Fossil Fuel energy systems, competing in areas other renewables cannot:Extremely Low Carbon Footprint Power, Thermal Heat Production, Shared Power Conversion Schemes (the possibility of a coal to nuclear transition). However, traditional reactors are plagued by high capital cost, lengthy construction times, antiquated regulatory practices, and misinformed public perception.
4. Molten Salt Reactors offer market advantages which may help establish the technology. These include: the production of high Temp thermal power for use in cogeneration schemes (desalination and chemical production), the ease of online reprocessing through selective deposition of material through electrolysis
5. To be able to reap the benefits MSRs offer, the technology must be matured and then successfully deployed. Active areas of research include: The construction and testing of bench scale systems, the development of related sensors, the conceptual design of reactor systems (thermo hydraulics and neutronics) and the development of digital twins (Which I view as a hybrid between the construction of a real system and the design of a conceptual one).
6. Given my current position in life (Married with a wife that works and a small kid at home) I would need to pursue a graduate degree that would afford me some flexibility in work schedule so that my wife and I can support each other in our work as we also raise our son. Experimental work, though appealing to me, has rigid and intense time requirements, and the work done in a PhD can have limited applications. That said, I do not want to spend my time constructing "paper reactors". I believe computational work centered on the construction and operation of real systems is the right research space for me at this time. It will enable a transition to a variety of fields of work on real systems once they are constructed.
7. Nuclear/Chemical Engineering is in high demand. A project which would help to develop my understanding and abilities in both these disciplines is crucial. The study of corrosion and salt chemistry would have application to both th construction and operation of real systems, and to the design of waste reprocessing schemes which might help solidify the market advantage of Molten Salt Reactors.