Feasibility of HALEU-loaded Breed-and-Burn Molten Salt Fast Reactor without Online Actinide Treatment

Abstract: Molten Salt Fast Reactors (MSFRs) have prominent advantages such as fuel breeding, nuclear waste transmutation, and inherent safety. They are the only liquid-fueled nuclear reactors currently receiving significant attention as fourth-generation advanced nuclear systems. To address the challenges of short operational lifetimes and proliferation issues during online fuel processing, the breed-and-burn (B&B) MSFR is among the most promising advanced reactor types. In this study, a large-volume B&B MSFR model without online actinide element treatment was simulated and analyzed using the Monte Carlo simulation software SERPENT, considering different power levels and sizes of the inactive core. The results demonstrate that, under otherwise identical conditions, the operational lifetime and conversion ratio of MSFRs increase with decreasing power levels and increasing the size of the inactive core. These findings provide a foundation and theoretical basis for achieving B&B MSFRs without online actinide element treatment.