Molten salt testing services

Tests with uranium & thorium salts, and other radioactive isotopes

Copenhagen Atomics are well known for our large contribution to physical tests of components in various molten salts and a large number of test loops.
Until now we have mainly tested using fluoride, chloride and nitrate salts, but next year we will also start testing with uranium and thorium bearing salts.
This is a new chapter in our journey to help bring molten salt reactor technology forward towards commercial reactor deployment.

Why work with us?

Because we collaborate with a number of universities and national laboratories around the world that use our equipment and share the collected data with us for better results

Opening up for more

Now Copenhagen Atomics also open up for running tests both with static salts and pumped salt loops in our test facility in Copenhagen.

This will make it possible for companies or researchers without a workshop, who cannot accommodate a loop or testing with radioactive materials, to run their test in Copenhagen and take advantage of our highly skilled loop operators.

The test platform

Copenhagen Atomics has developed a very extensive test platform, where both the majority of electronics hardware and software are open source.

We have the following sensors which are available for test systems:

  • Gas and salt flow sensors
  • Gas and salt pressure sensors
  • Gas and salt temperature sensors
  • Liquid level sensors for salts
  • Real time salt density measurements systems
  • Valves with both software and manual control
  • Flanges and gaskets (including flange cutters for welded flanges)
  • Moisture sensors
  • Salt redox potential sensors
  • Salt leak detection sensors
  • Pumps with variable RPM control (VFD)
  • Salt filters
  • Salt reheaters
  • AC boxes with up to 8 amps per port (0 - 400V) - with current sensors on each port
  • DC boxes with up to 4 amp per port (0 - 24V)  - with current sensors on each port
  • Programming via state machines and setup / auto configuration in 5 minutes
THE BACKBONE

The system builds on Raspberry Pi computers, Linux, .NET. It uses cabled ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth and USB.

It can interface with RS232, RS485, 4-20mA, 0-5V, 0-10V and has excellent support for redundancy of sensors.

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FAQ

It will soon be possible to run tests with natural uranium and natural thorium bearing salts in test tubes (static tests) or test loops (high flow rate tests).

At an additional cost it is possible for CA to install your equipment inside a private room. However a short list of named CA personnel must have access to the room as well as firefighters in case of fire. We can set up access logs and remote accessible video surveillance in the room if you want.

Yes we can agree on procedures where the customer (you) are invited to participate every time the test loop (or test tube) is opened and inspected or changed. This will give you a lot of knowledge about how to operate molten salt loops and how to avoid corrosion, pump failure, etc. This is very valuable knowledge before you start to build your own loop or reactor.

Yes we can make an addon where we can take salt samples out of the loop monthly and analyze them in CA globe boxes for corrosion or other measurements. We can also prepare these samples and send them to your lab or a 3rd party lab for measurements.

Some companies or universities do not have enough room or approval to run loops with radioactive salts or even regular FLiNaK or FLiBe salts. The CA testing services were predominantly made to allow these customers access to state of the art testing in molten salt test systems. Both pumped and static salt tests. CA already has highly skilled engineers and staff which run the loops every day. In many cases it is lower cost asking CA personnel to run complex tests at the CA site, rather than setting up your own lab, training your own personnel and hiring our service technicians to your “remote” site in order to resolve problems. Many tasks, such as changing a pump or a filter may be ten times faster at the CA test facility than at other facilities. You are welcome to ask for quotes for both a custom loop delivered to your site and a test campaign run at the CA site.