Advancing molten salt reactor technologies: Prioritizing standardisation needs and bridging gaps

This article outlines key standardisation needs for specific topics related to molten salt reactors (MSR), namely measurements of thermo-physical properties, safety evaluation, qualification of fuels and fuel cycles, and codes & standards for materials and components. It also explores strategies for bridging gaps in international standardisation, harmonisation and collaboration, and raises the importance of building MSR prototypes and investing in testing facilities. This article is based on a survey and direct inputs from a Putting Science into Standards workshop held on 18 and 19 March 2024 and organised by the European Commissions’ Joint Research Centre (JRC) and European Committee for Standardization (CEN) and European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC). The workshop gathered 100 experts from research, industry and policy making to discuss the development and standardisation of MSR technologies. By working together at European and international levels, standardisation will be a key instrument to enable the development and commercialisation of mature MSR technologies to support the European Union's goal of achieving fully functioning small modular reactors by 2030.

JENET Andreas;  SOUCEK Pavel;  NILSSON Karl-Fredrik;  CAVERZAN Alessio;  CAPELLI Elisa;  PAVIET Patricia;  ROSE Melissa A.;  HOLCOMB David Eugene;  SMITH Anna;  KREPEL Jiri;  TAUCER Fabio;  BENES Ondrej; 

2025-10-14

ELSEVIER SCIENCE SA

JRC141500

1872-759X (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0029549325006727?via%3Dihub,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC141500,   

10.1016/j.nucengdes.2025.114495 (online),