MSRE FLiBe arrives in Texas for reuse after decades in storage

[Marlin]

MSRE FLiBe arrives in Texas for reuse after decades in storage

https://www.ans.org/news/2026-09-18/article-8402/msre-flibe-arrives-in-texas-for-reuse-after-decades-in-storage/

[Core Content]

More than two metric tons of FLiBe salt from the historic Molten Salt Reactor Experiment have been delivered to Abilene Christian University in Texas. The material will serve as the primary constituent for the fuel salt in the university's new Molten Salt Research Reactor.

This transfer provides a rare domestic supply of lithium-7 enriched fluoride salt required for advanced reactor development. Operational data gathered from the project will assist regulators and developers in commercializing liquid-fueled, graphite-moderated molten salt reactor technology.

This morning, more than 2 metric tons of FLiBe—a mixture of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride—was delivered to the Molten Salt Research Reactor (MSRR), a Natura Resources MSR-1, on the Abilene Christian University campus in Abilene, Texas.

The shipment gives the salt a second life. It was originally used in the Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which ceased operations in 1969. Since then, the salt has been stored with minimal use beyond the extraction of a small amount for research purposes.

The reactor: ACU is working in close partnership with Natura Resources to construct and operate the MSRR, a 1-MWt, molten salt–cooled, liquid-fueled, graphite-moderated molten salt reactor.

Read the full article at ans.org:
https://www.ans.org/news/2026-09-18/article-8402/msre-flibe-arrives-in-texas-for-reuse-after-decades-in-storage/