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Path Toward a Breeding, Proliferation-Resistant, Thermal-Spectrum Molten Salt Reactor

David E. Holcomb, Mauricio E. Tano

Nuclear Technology / Volume 211 / Number 8 / August 2025 / Pages 1823-1850

Research Article / dx.doi.org/10.1080/00295450.2024.2431776

Received:August 29, 2024
Accepted:November 15, 2024
Published:June 27, 2025

Liquid-fueled, thermal-spectrum molten salt breeder reactors (TS-MSBRs) offer the potential for affordable, safe, inexhaustible energy with minimal potential for nuclear material misuse and without significant actinide waste generation. Realizing the full set of TS-MSBR capabilities is only now becoming possible with the advent of advanced fuel-salt processing techniques, improved materials, and a more detailed understanding of fuel-salt properties. Additionally, modern higher-fidelity modeling and simulation methods enable a more detailed evaluation of TS-MSBR design options. TS-MSBRs, however, remain immature and will require substantial, sustained development resources.