Control of noble gas bubble formation in a molten salt reactor

A method of operating a molten salt fission reactor, wherein the molten salt fission reactor comprises:

• a reactor core comprising a plurality of fuel tubes, each fuel tube containing:
• a fuel salt, the fuel salt being a molten salt of one or more fissile isotopes;
• a gas interface of the fuel salt, which is a surface of the fuel salt in contact with a gas space during operation of the reactor;
• a fuel salt cooling system configured to cool the fuel salt, the fuel salt cooling system comprising
• a coolant tank containing a coolant liquid in which the fuel tubes are at least partially immersed, and
• a heat exchanger for extracting heat from the coolant liquid;
• the method comprising maintaining temperatures of the fuel salt such that that during operation of the reactor, for all points within the fuel salt within each fuel tube except at the respective gas interface:
• T
• 2
• >
• 1
• -
• R
• He
• Δ
• ⁢
• H
• He
• *
• ln
• ⁡
• (
• P
• 1
• P
• 2
• )
• +
• 1
• T
• 1
• where:
• T1 is the temperature of the fuel salt at the gas interface;
• T2 is the temperature of the fuel salt at the measured point;
• P1 is the absolute pressure at the gas interface;
• P2 is the absolute pressure at the measured point;
• RHe is the gas constant of Helium;
• ΔHHe is the enthalpy of solution of Helium in the fuel salt.