Plutonium Trifluoride as a Fuel for Molten Salt Reactors-Solubility Studies

Abstract

The feasibility of using plutonium as a fuel in a molten salt reactor has been evaluated by the determination of the solubility of PuF$sub 3$ in a number of salt compositions containing LiF, BeF$sub 2$, and ThF$sub 4$ in the temperature range of interest for such a reactor. An empirical correlation for the solubility of PuF$sub 3$ as a function of salt composition has been obtained from the solubility data to calculate the solubility of PuF$sub 3$ in other salt compositions of interest. The data indicate that PuF$sub 3$ has adequate solubility in salt compositions of interest for a molten salt reactor of either the converter or the breeder type. (auth)