SPORIAN MICROSYSTEMS, INC — Department of Energy SBIR Phase I: 13d

Description

One of the key research activities recommended in a recent DOE development roadmap for molten salt reactor (MSR) chemistry is to improve the knowledge base concerning interfacial interactions between molten salts and other materials- The development of in situ salt composition monitoring by spectroscopic techniques is a key step in studying the chemical interactions between molten salts and other materials- Material compatibility is a key enabler of MSR technology, as system and component design is tied to accurate and reliable thermal and corrosion properties, and impacts salt handling protocols and operation of critical subsystems- Such a system would need to be: capable of measuring a range of molten salt compositions at target operational temperatures; capable of detecting target molecules (impurities and corrosion products, and possibly fission products) at relevant concentrations; and resistant to radiation effects- Sporian Microsystems has previously developed inline, real time, gas and liquid composition monitoring systems for DOD based on Raman spectroscopy, and has developed a range of high-temperature (1000-1800°C) sensor technologies for the energy industry, including for molten salt and nuclear power fluid monitoring applications- While these prior sensor systems were built for different applications, the technologies should be similarly useful for monitoring salt composition at high temperatures- Thus, the long-term objective of the proposed effort is to leverage Sporian’s prior work on Raman spectroscopy and high-temperature sensors to realize a Raman- based, high temperature capable, molten salt composition monitoring system- Work will be done through collaboration between Sporian Microsystems and the University of Wisconsin-Madison-