Denmark’s Copenhagen Atomics has entered into a significant experimental collaboration agreement with Switzerland’s Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI).
This partnership aims to conduct the first critical experiment on thorium molten salt reactors (MSRs) in Europe.
Molten Salt Reactors and the Thorium Fuel Cycle
MSRs utilize molten fluoride salts as a primary coolant at low pressure. They can operate with various fuels and neutron spectrums, but the current interest in MSRs centers on utilizing thorium to breed fissile uranium-233, requiring an initial fissile material source like plutonium-239.
Copenhagen Atomics is developing a containerized MSR that utilizes unpressurized heavy water as a moderator. This reactor consumes nuclear waste while breeding new fuel from thorium, with a compact design suitable for mass manufacturing and an output of 100 MWt.
Critical Experiment at PSI’s Facilities
The collaboration with PSI will involve conducting a critical experiment using Copenhagen Atomics’ thorium-fed ‘Onion Core’ reactor design at PSI’s facilities.
Scheduled for 2026-27, this experiment aims to validate the technology and provide valuable experience in design, construction, licensing, operation, and decommissioning of this novel reactor technology.
The experiment will also collect data for commercial deployment and make it available as open source for the validation of reactor modeling tools.
Four-Year Collaboration Agreement
The collaboration agreement between Copenhagen Atomics and PSI has an initial duration of four years.
Both Copenhagen Atomics and PSI have expressed excitement about the collaboration. Aslak Stubsgaard, CTO of Copenhagen Atomics, highlighted PSI’s world-class expertise, experience, and facilities, while Marco Streit, Head of PSI Hot Laboratory, expressed his satisfaction with Copenhagen Atomics’ decision to partner with PSI.
Copenhagen Atomics’ Ongoing Testing and Development
Copenhagen Atomics is actively producing and testing full-scale test reactor prototypes at its Copenhagen headquarters, along with numerous smaller-scale loop tests and salt production.
Their MSRs utilize lithium, thorium, and low-enriched uranium fluoride salt as fuel and can be manufactured in modules the size of standard shipping containers. The company’s long-term goal is to commercialize thorium molten salt breeder reactors with a levelized cost of electricity of USD 20 per MWh.
International Collaboration for Ammonia Production
In May 2023, a collaboration between Danish and Indonesian companies announced a study to assess the operational and regulatory conditions for constructing an ammonia production facility in Indonesia powered by Copenhagen Atomics’ small modular thorium MSRs.
This project envisions a 1 GW nuclear power plant comprising 25 SMR modules.
UK Atomics’ Generic Design Assessment Application
UK Atomics, a subsidiary of Copenhagen Atomics, submitted a Generic Design Assessment (GDA) entry application for its containerized MSR to the UK Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.
The GDA process assesses the safety, security, and environmental protection aspects of nuclear power plant designs intended for deployment in Great Britain.
Business Model and Deployment Timeline
Copenhagen Atomics plans to deploy its reactors through UK Atomics, which will build, own, and operate a fleet of autonomous reactors, potentially numbering in the thousands. This energy-as-a-service business model aims to enable cost-effective and low-risk deployment.
The company anticipates that the first commercial reactor will commence operation in 2028.