Simulation Assisted Engineering for a Molten Salt Reactor

Abstract

Terrestrial Energy is developing a Generation IV Molten Salt Reactor (MSR) for its Integral Molten Salt Reactor (IMSR) power plant. Terrestrial Energy selected L3Harris MAPPS to simulate the IMSR power plant, first to support plant engineering (Simulation Assisted Engineering (SAE)) and then, as the plant design advances, to provide training simulators for Terrestrial Energy’s customers (Operator Training Simulators). The SAE project scope was to develop and integrate models for the IMSR Core-unit, the reactor vessel, all salt circuits, the steam generators, major balance of plant systems, the emergency heat removal system and preliminary control strategy simulation.

L3Harris’ foundational technology (Orchid® Total Development & Simulation Environment), used for conventional nuclear plant simulations, needed significant updates to (1) the reactor core model (Comet Plus™), the advanced two-phase, non-homogenous thermohydraulic model (ANTHEM™) and their interfaces to model the movement of liquid fuel, (2) the additions of salts (not only water) to the liquid phase in ANTHEM™, and (3) other important updates.

This paper will review the technical challenges with simulating a MSR of this design, the results and SAE use cases. It will also provide results of the preliminary control system HMI conceptualized by L3Harris.