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DOE OSTI · 3376270

Chlorine isotope separations using thermal diffusion

McNamara, Bruce K. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)]·Powell, Michael R. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)]·Davis, James M. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)]·Lowrey, Caleb A. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)]·Schlieder, Tyler D. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)]·Huber, Zachary F. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)]
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Abstract

In a chloride molten salt fast reactor (Cl-MSFR), the fuel salt might be comprised of a specific eutectic composition of alkali and alkaline chlorides that solubilize major and minor actinide chlorides as the fertile component(s). Each of the chloride species contain the natural abundance ( 35 Cl ~76% and 37 Cl ~24%) of the two stable isotopes of chlorine 35 Cl and 37 Cl. There has been an ongoing controversy for the operation of the Cl-MSFRs concerning the potential of the 35 Cl(n,γ) 36 Cl, 35 Cl(n,p) 35 S, 35 Cl(n,α) 32 S reactions to produce 36 Cl, 32 S, and 32 P at relevant energies [Bulmer 1956]. The undesirable attributes of irradiated 35 Cl are enumerated further below.

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07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORSisotopesthermal separations

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McNamara, Bruce K. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)], Powell, Michael R. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)], Davis, James M. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)], Lowrey, Caleb A. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)], Schlieder, Tyler D. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)], Huber, Zachary F. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)]. 2025-09-29. Chlorine isotope separations using thermal diffusion. https://doi.org/10.2172/3376270

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