Thorium-based molten salt SMR as the nuclear technology pathway from a market-oriented perspective

In this paper, a market guided design approach is exercised to identify the optimal reactor form in terms of safety, cost, fuel availability, and profitability. Various Gen IV reactor concepts and existing reactor examples have been examined and potential non-power applications of nuclear energy is investigated. The conclusion drawn upon the state-of-the-art reactor designs is that thorium-base molten salt small modular reactor is the most promising technical path to carry nuclear energy into the new era of meeting the market demand while maintaining utmost safety at an affordable capital cost.