Beryllium Moderated Reactors - Disadvantages

Disadvantages

  • Little development compared to most Gen IV designs - much is unknown.
  • Need to operate an on-site chemical plant to manage core mixture and remove fission products.
  • Lithium containing salts will cause significant tritium production (comparable with heavy water reactors), even if pure 7Li is used.
  • Likely need for regulatory changes to deal with radically different design features.
  • Corrosion may occur over many decades of reactor operation and could be problematic.
  • Nickel and iron based alloys are prone to embrittelment under high neutron flux.

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