Nuclear Power Coolants: Salt Does Not Need to be Pressurized - TR2016c 0h28m22s29f
Channel: Thorium Remix
Date: 2017-03-20

http://ThoriumRemix.com/ Today's nuclear power plants use water as a coolant. To improve the efficiency of reactor operation, the water is heated above 100°C. To keep the water from turning into steam (which would not move heat effectively nor drive turbines) the water is pressurized to 155 bar (15.5 MPa 153 atm, 2,250 psi).

Pressurized water will flash to steam if pressure is lost, occupying 1000x the volume. Steam can not cool the fuel rods effectively. The turning of water into steam has played a role in every nuclear reactor meltdown.

Liquid Salts offer an alternative to water coolant. Salts need not be pressurized. Salts can carry the same amount of heat per unit of volume. And salts have an enormous liquid range- they will not flash to steam nor boil away under any plausible "meltdown" scenario.