The Molten Salt Thermal Properties Working Group was organized in 2020 by General Atomics Center Director Professor Ted Besmann and Dr. Jake McMurray of Kairos Power to help address communication issues stemming from rapid expansion of research on molten salts as heat transfer media and nuclear fuel. Workshops on molten salt thermal properties have been and are continuing to be organized under the ad hoc Molten Salt Thermal Properties Working Group (MSTPWG).

About the MSTPWG

The swift growth in interest in molten salts has substantially increased the technical community concerned with the various thermal properties of the materials. This has left many of those in the field unaware of the activities of others, with missed collaborative opportunities, possible duplicative efforts, and lack of awareness of useful new data. The Molten Salt Thermal Properties Working Group was therefore established to help address these issues.

The group is made up of an informal/ad hoc set of researchers working on molten salt thermochemical / thermophysical properties.  Members are self-selected, only needing to provide their contact information to join. It is specifically targeted at the sharing of computational, experimental, and modeling methods and results for the following:

• Fundamental phase equilibria determinations (e.g., solidus/liquidus, eutectics, etc.)
• Determinations of enthalpy of formation, heat of transition/fusion, heat capacity, etc.
• Vapor pressures
• Viscosity
• Thermal conductivity
  

Our activities include:

• Organizing periodic workshops
• Engaging in round-robin measurement studies
• Circulating job searches
• Fostering collaborations

Content of Past Workshops