Moltex Energy Canada’s (Moltex) published new research today demonstrating the unique capability of its Stable Salt Reactor – Wasteburner (SSR-W) to consume used nuclear fuel. This research supports Moltex’s ongoing development of a reactor that can significantly reduce nuclear waste while producing clean energy.
The research highlights that the SSR-W, developed by teams in New Brunswick, Ontario, the UK, and the USA, can consume the vast majority of transuranic elements present in used fuel bundles from Canada’s CANDU reactors. These transuranic elements, which are created during the fission process, are radioactive for thousands of years. Unlike traditional reactors that accumulate these elements over time, the SSR-W is designed to consume them as fuel, presenting an innovative approach to reducing nuclear waste.
“The SSR-W was specifically engineered to efficiently reuse and consume recycled nuclear waste,” said Moltex CEO Rory O’Sullivan. “This breakthrough research, the result of years of collaboration, clearly demonstrates that ability.”
According to the research, the SSR-W can recycle used fuel indefinitely, producing a minimum of 6,000 MW of clean energy from Canada’s existing CANDU reactor fuel without the need for new fuel imports. This gives the SSR-W a key advantage over other advanced reactor technologies, which can only recycle used fuel once or a limited number of times.
“Our fuel source is already sitting in stockpiles at nuclear sites around the country,” O’Sullivan noted. “This means we can tap into these resources to produce clean power for years to come.”
Mr O’Sullivan will present the findings at the Generation IV and Small Reactors conference in Ottawa on October 4th. The peer-reviewed paper, titled ‘Wasteburning Performance of the Moltex SSR-W’, will be available in the conference proceedings, and on the Moltex Energy website. There are also explanatory slides available here.
Moltex is also developing WATSS, a recycling process designed to convert used nuclear fuel into a form that can be used in molten salt reactors like the SSR-W. Moltex is working with the Nuclear Waste Management Organization to ensure that any final waste products requiring disposal can be disposed of via established disposal routes in Canada.
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