NAAREA, the CNRS and Université Paris-Saclay launch a joint laboratory dedicated to molten salt chemistry research
One year after receiving the France 2030 label, NAAREA, a French company developing a fourth-generation molten salt fast nuclear microreactor, is partnering with the CNRS and Université Paris-Saclay to create a joint laboratory dedicated to molten salt chemistry. Known as Innovation Molten Salt Lab (IMS Lab), this laboratory will draw on the expertise of NAAREA and ICJLab (Laboratoire de Physique des 2 Infinis Irène Joliot-Curie). Its aim is to become the European leader in the field of molten salts R&D for both nuclear (molten salt reactors) and non-nuclear applications.
For nearly 20 years, molten salt chemistry has been one of the focuses of research at IJCLab, which analyses the molten salt fast-spectrum reactor concept and conducts experimental studies on the chemistry and treatment of liquid salt fuel. Benefiting from their complementary strengths, NAAREA, which is developing a fourth-generation molten salt fast-spectrum nuclear microreactor, and the molten salts team at IJCLAB are joining forces to create a joint research laboratory known as Innovation Molten Salt Lab (IMS Lab).
The laboratory will bring together ICJLab’s historical expertise in molten salts chemistry and NAAREA’s technological knowledge in the fields of materials, neutronics, safety analysis and materials and fuel data. Innovation Molten Salt Lab (IMS Lab) will accelerate research on the synthesis of chemical compounds in molten salts and expand the experimental scientific knowledge base in this area, with the potential to benefit industrial
sectors beyond the nuclear field.
Under joint governance, Innovation Molten Salt Lab (IMS Lab) will follow a roadmap for research and innovation. This roadmap will aim to foster collaborative work and capitalize on the concepts and innovations developed at NAAREA to the benefit of the European molten salt reactor sector, in particular in the context of the strategic partnerships it recently formed. This collaboration also aims to create synergies with other public and private
entities with an interest in research on the properties of molten salts. The goal of Innovation Molten Salt Lab (IMS Lab) is to become the European leader in the field of molten salts research and development, for bothmolten salt nuclear reactors and other non-nuclear applications such as metallurgy and concentrated solar power.