China achieves 1st thorium-to-uranium fuel conversion in molten salt reactor

China's thorium molten salt reactor has achieved the world's first transmutation of thorium fuel into uranium fuel for nuclear fission, making it the world's first operational reactor to accomplish this feat.

Key physical parameter data of protactinium-233 confirm the successful establishment of a nuclide conversion chain from thorium-232 to uranium-233 within the reactor. This milestone offers preliminary verification of the technical feasibility of the thorium fuel cycle, solidifying China's lead in molten salt reactor research.

The achievement stems from a 2-megawatt thermal (MWt) liquid-fueled thorium molten salt reactor, led by the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, located in the Hongshagang industrial cluster in Minqin county, Wuwei city, Gansu province.

"Nuclear energy, characterized by its high energy density, near-zero carbon emissions and independence from seasonal variations, is a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy source. It plays a crucial role in safeguarding energy security and advancing large-scale commercialization goals," said Cai Xiangzhou, deputy director of the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics.