Generation of Small Droplets for Molten Salt Reactor Fluoride Fuel Salt Sampling

The analysis of molten salt samples benefits significantly from using small, uniform samples. One such analysis technique that requires these samples is the diamond-based microfluidic alpha spectrometer (DiMAS), which relies on depositing very small quantities of molten fluoride salts on its surface to enable high-resolution alpha spectrometry. To facilitate this, a pneumatic droplet generator for molten fluoride salt has been developed. The system employs a fast-acting solenoid to pulse argon gas through a heated vessel, allowing it to dispense droplets through a diamond orifice. A parameter study was performed to identify the optimal settings for producing small, consistent droplets. The results indicate that the system can reliably produce salt droplets around 1 mm in diameter. Further analysis of the findings was undertaken to explore design changes and operating conditions that could further improve performance for future implementation with DiMAS and other analysis techniques.