A nuclear power company announced last month that it had completed the development of a new reactor design. This variation on the molten salt reactor reportedly has no moving parts, making for simple design and operation.
The developer was UK-based MoltexFLEX, a subsidiary of Moltex, which released a technical description of the ‘FLEX’ reactor in September. The company stated that it hoped to build a reactor by 2029, with a construction period of 24 months.
Sites would consist of an array of 40MW reactors, joined to meet higher capacity requirements. According to MoltexFLEX, one of the primary advantages to the design is the ability to rapidly respond to changes in demand, either entering an idle state or returning to full power. The 750°C heat it produces can also be used for water desalination and hydrogen production.
A spokesperson for the company said, “The cost of electricity generated by the FLEX reactor is comparable to that of wind, at just £40 per MWh. This is achieved through a unique, patented system which uses two molten salts: one acting as a fuel, whilst the other circulates as a coolant.
“This allows the heat from the reactor to be extracted through natural convection, without the need for pumps. Because of its simplicity, the FLEX reactor doesn’t require expensive steel and concrete structures, greatly reducing the operational and maintenance costs. Once online, the FLEX reactor can be operated with the same skills and equipment used in a fossil fuel plant, and it can last 60 years with only two scheduled breaks to refuel.”
