A Decision-Making Framework for the Development of Molten-Salt Reactors: Prioritizing Environmental and Technological Factors
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31181/jscda31202547Keywords:
Energy investments, Nuclear energy projects, Molten-salt reactor, Decision-makingAbstract
The development of molten-salt reactors is of key importance for the development of countries. Although these reactors have many advantages, some issues pose a barrier to the development of these projects. In this context, it is necessary to identify the most important factors affecting the development of molten-salt reactors. This situation allows action to be taken without incurring very high costs. However, there are limited studies in the literature on determining the factors that most affect the performance of these reactors. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to determine the most significant indicators of molten-salt reactors. In this framework, the main research question is to identify which strategies should be mainly implemented for the improvements of these projects. In the first stage, important variables are determined according to literature review results. Secondly, the weights of these indicators are calculated. In this process, the DEMATEL methodology is taken into consideration. Based on the analysis results, appropriate investment strategies are identified for the improvements of these investments. It is concluded that environmental factors play the most significant issue in the improvements of the molten-salt reactors. In addition to this issue, technological factors are also important for this situation. Nevertheless, social and political factors have the lowest weights in this regard. For the development of molten-salt reactors, improvements in environmental factors must be made first. People's biggest concern about nuclear reactors is the negative effects on the environment. In this context, the radioactive wastes generated may have a negative impact on the environment. This situation negatively affects the image of the projects. In this context, it is appropriate to use thorium instead of uranium in molten-salt reactors. This significantly reduces the amount of radioactive waste generated as a result of the energy production process.
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