Molten Salt Reactor Patent Landscape 2026
Molten Salt Reactor Patent Landscape in 2026
The molten salt reactor (MSR) field is in a sustained growth phase, with a 39% rise in filings over the recent window and the United States as the dominant filing jurisdiction. TerraPower LLC holds the leading position, but a competitive second tier — spanning private startups, national laboratories, and universities across three continents — keeps the landscape moderately concentrated rather than monopolised.
TerraPower leads a competitive but diversified field
Together, the top five filers account for 36% of the combined total across the hundred largest filers, signalling meaningful concentration at the apex without outright dominance.
A clear tier gap separates the top two players from the rest: TerraPower’s 168 records and Shanghai Applied Physics’s 119 records stand well above the 70–88 range of the third-through-fifth ranked filers. Below rank five, output drops sharply to the 25–60 range, populated by a mix of European startups, U. S. national-lab affiliates, and Asian industrial groups.
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TerraPower LLC | 168 | |
| 2 | Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 119 | |
| 3 | Terrestrial Energy Inc. | 88 | |
| 4 | Copenhagen Atomics AS | 84 | |
| 5 | Abilene Christian University | 70 | |
| 6 | GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC | 60 | |
| 7 | Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | 57 | |
| 8 | Scott Ian Richard | 54 | |
| 9 | Georgia Tech Research Corporation | 33 | |
| 10 | TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY | 29 |
| # | Applicant | Patent records | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Board of Regents, The University of Texas System | 29 | |
| 12 | Transatomic Power Corporation | 28 | |
| 13 | Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute | 28 | |
| 14 | Alpha Tech Research Corp. | 27 | |
| 15 | Natura Resources LLC | 26 | |
| 16 | Saltfoss Energy ApS | 25 | |
| 17 | Ian Richard Scott | 22 | |
| 18 | Metatomic Inc. | 18 | |
| 19 | U.S. Department of Energy | 18 | |
| 20 | Terrestrial Energy USA Inc. | 18 |
TerraPower’s scale implies deep portfolio coverage across reactor design and fuel-cycle subclasses, which raises freedom-to-operate risk for entrants working on overlapping reactor configurations. China is a durable second force, not a peripheral one.
The most recent 18–24 months of filing data are subject to publication lag and will be revised upward as applications publish; apparent softness in 2025–2026 data does not reflect actual innovation pace. Longer-window growth, applicant concentration, and technology-route coverage are therefore more reliable signals than the latest-year bar alone.
Annual filings trending upward; reactor-core IP dominates the technology mix
The filing trend reveals a field expanding on a multi-year basis, while the technology composition confirms that reactor-core engineering captures the overwhelming share of innovation effort, leaving several adjacent branches comparatively sparse.
Annual filing trend
Annual filings rose from the high-80s to 90s during 2017–2019, spiked to 149 in 2020, moderated in 2021, then climbed again to 137 in both 2022 and 2023 before reaching 188 in 2024 — the highest single-year total on record. The 2025 and 2026 figures (82 and 11 respectively) reflect publication lag, not a real decline, and should be treated as provisional.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaTechnology composition
G21C (Nuclear reactors) is by far the dominant IPC class, reflecting the field’s core focus on reactor design, fuel handling, and coolant systems. G21D (Nuclear power plants) and G21F (Radiation protection and shielding) form a secondary cluster. Branches such as F28D (Heat-exchange apparatus), F01K (Steam and thermal power plants), and G21G (Conversion of nuclei) hold materially smaller shares, indicating that balance-of-plant and transmutation engineering remain comparatively underdeveloped relative to the reactor core.
↗ Hover for values · click a bar to ask EurekaHighly cited patent families surfaced by the query
Citation-heavy patent families returned by the query. Use this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents.
Thorium molten salt reactor using 100% non-radioac…
The present invention is related to a Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (Th-MSR) using 100% non-radioactive Thorium fuel, composed of LiF+BeF<sub>2</sub>+ThF<sub>4 </sub>without containing any U-235. The Th-MSR is consisted of a reactor chamber, a fuel injector, a fuel reservoir, an in-line chemical extraction unit, a heat exchanger, a few KW electricity turbine… (excerpt from the patent abstract)
| # | Patent | Citations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monitoring activity of a user in locomotion on foot | 142 |
| 2 | Nuclear reactors and related methods and apparatus | 122 |
| 3 | Nuclear reactors and related methods and apparatus | 117 |
| 4 | Molten salt nuclear reactor | 105 |
| 5 | Monitoring activity of a user in locomotion on foot | 88 |
| 6 | Apparatus for transmutation of nuclear reactor waste | 84 |
| 7 | Integral molten salt reactor | 82 |
| 8 | Molten nuclear fuel salts and related systems and … | 81 |
Ranked by total forward citations. Citation counts favour older and broadly cited patent families, and broad or adjacent patents may appear when they match the search scope. Treat this section as citation context, not as a curated list of the most topic-specific patents. Some patent titles may be shown in their original, non-English language where an accurate translation could not be guaranteed.
What the competitive structure means for R&D investment decisions
Four structural observations — maturity stage, concentration, collaboration networks, and geographic reach — translate directly into investment risk and positioning choices for engineering teams entering or expanding in this space.
Growth stage with multi-year upward trajectory
The lifecycle evidence classifies MSR as a Growth-stage field, supported by a 39% rise in filings over the recent window and a 2024 annual peak of 188 patent records. Annual volume has not eased from its peak (the 2024 figure is the highest on record), meaning the window for establishing foundational positions is open but narrowing. New entrants still have room to carve defensible niches, particularly in balance-of-plant and auxiliary subsystems where coverage is thinner.
Growth stageModerate concentration with a live second tier
The top five filers hold 36% of the combined output of the hundred largest filers, and no single player holds a majority. The second tier — Copenhagen Atomics, GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas, the French CEA (Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives), and others in the 57–84 patent record range — is active and growing, keeping the competitive landscape genuinely contested. Engineers should map their claims carefully against TerraPower’s G21C1 and G21C3 subclass clusters before filing.
Moderate HHIU.S. university consortium is the dominant co-filing network
The most active co-filing partnership is a three-way U.S. academic cluster: Abilene Christian University co-files with Texas A&M University (25 joint records), with the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System (25 joint records), and with Georgia Tech Research Corporation (22 joint records). Georgia Tech also co-files with Texas A&M (19 records) and the UT System (13 records). In Europe, the French CEA partners with Orano (8 records). These networks suggest that U.S. university consortia are functioning as a coordinated R&D bloc, making them potential licensing or collaboration targets for industrial players.
Academic consortiaU.S.-China duopoly at the top; broad multilateral coverage below
The United States leads with 331 patent records filed, followed closely by China at 288. WIPO PCT (179) and the EPO (172) reflect filers seeking broad international protection, while Japan (110) and Canada (106) form a secondary tier. The geographic spread across more than 40 jurisdictions — including South Korea, Germany, Australia, and India — indicates that leading applicants are pursuing wide-net protection strategies, raising the cost of freedom-to-operate analysis for any new entrant.
U.S.-China leadGo beyond the landscape: Eureka’s TRIZ Solution agent breaks down an R&D problem and returns patented concept solutions, each with a technical approach and cited patent & literature evidence.
| Applicant | Collaborator | Co-filings |
|---|---|---|
| Abilene Christian University | Texas A&M University | 25 |
| Abilene Christian University | Board of Regents, The University of Texas System | 25 |
| Abilene Christian University | Georgia Tech Research Corporation | 22 |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | Texas A&M University | 19 |
| Georgia Tech Research Corporation | Board of Regents, The University of Texas System | 13 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | Orano | 8 |
| Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Zhejiang Jiuli Hi-Tech Metals Co., Ltd. | 2 |
| Seaborg Technologies | Saltfoss Energy ApS | 2 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | University of Toulouse III – Paul Sabatier | 2 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) | 2 |
Co-filing pairs, ranked by the number of jointly-filed patent families.
TerraPower and Copenhagen Atomics define opposite momentum trajectories
The top two players by patent records hold contrasting recent-filing trends: TerraPower’s volume has pulled back from prior highs, while Copenhagen Atomics has sharply accelerated, tripling its output relative to the prior three-year window.
TerraPower LLC
TerraPower holds 168 patent records — the largest portfolio in this corpus — concentrated in G21C1 (reactor designs, 113 records), G21C3 (fuel elements and materials, 97 records), and G21C15 (cooling and heat-removal systems, 50 records). This breadth indicates a systems-level strategy covering reactor architecture, fuel, and thermal management. Recent momentum shows a 54% decrease versus the prior three-year period, suggesting the portfolio may be maturing or that filing focus has shifted toward prosecution and prosecution-adjacent activity rather than new disclosures.
patent records: 168Copenhagen Atomics
Copenhagen Atomics ranks fourth overall with 84 patent records and is the standout momentum story: recent filings are running at 3.0× the prior three-year rate (54 records in the recent window). Its technology emphasis spans G21C1 (46 records), G21C3 (41 records), and G21C5 (fuel-element structures, 27 records), closely mirroring TerraPower’s core subclasses. This trajectory positions Copenhagen Atomics as the most aggressive challenger in reactor-core IP and warrants close monitoring for overlap with established portfolios.
patent records: 84| Applicant | Recent (3 yrs) | Trend |
|---|---|---|
| TerraPower LLC | 21 | ▼ -54% |
| Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | 24 | ▼ -37% |
| Terrestrial Energy Inc. | 4 | ▲ new entrant |
| Copenhagen Atomics AS | 54 | ▲ 3.0× vs prior 3-yr |
| Abilene Christian University | 63 | ▲ new entrant |
| Scott Ian Richard | 2 | ▲ new entrant |
| GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy Americas LLC | 18 | ▼ -33% |
Under-served branches adjacent to the reactor-core core
Five IPC branches sit at materially lower coverage levels than G21C, each with a plausible technical link to MSR commercialisation. Two stand out for their combination of sparse filing density and direct engineering relevance.
F28D · Heat-exchange apparatus
With 65 patent records — roughly 4% of the G21C count — heat-exchange apparatus is conspicuously sparse given that molten-salt-to-working-fluid heat exchangers are a critical enabling component for any MSR power conversion system. The gap likely reflects early-stage reactor focus rather than solved engineering: entrants with expertise in high-temperature, corrosive-fluid heat exchanger design could establish defensible positions here before the field matures. Entry paths include novel alloy-lined tube geometries and freeze-valve-integrated exchanger configurations.
Search this in Eureka →G21G · Conversion of nuclei / transmutation
G21G (Conversion of nuclei) holds only 44 patent records in this corpus, representing roughly 3% of G21C volume. MSRs are frequently cited as transmutation platforms for long-lived nuclear waste, yet the IP coverage of transmutation-specific reactor configurations and fuel-cycle integration is thin. This is an observation of relative sparsity, not a confirmed commercial gap — regulatory and material constraints are substantial — but for organisations with waste-management mandates or thorium-fuel programmes, the low filing density may indicate under-exploited IP territory worth a targeted search.
Search this in Eureka →How leaders differ by technology subclass emphasis
Strength of each leader across the main technology routes.
| Player | G21C 1 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 3 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 15 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 19 · Nuclear reactors | G21C 5 · Nuclear reactors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TerraPower LLC | Strong · 113 | Strong · 97 | Moderate · 50 | Moderate · 38 | Moderate · 26 |
| Terrestrial Energy Inc. | Strong · 74 | Moderate · 29 | Moderate · 18 | Emerging · 11 | Strong · 44 |
| Copenhagen Atomics AS | Strong · 46 | Strong · 41 | Absent | Moderate · 13 | Strong · 27 |
| Scott Ian Richard | Strong · 42 | Strong · 39 | Moderate · 17 | Moderate · 20 | Emerging · 6 |
| Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences | Absent | Strong · 51 | Moderate · 21 | Strong · 26 | Moderate · 16 |
| Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA) | Strong · 33 | Strong · 18 | Moderate · 10 | Strong · 21 | Emerging · 4 |
Frequently asked questions
The corpus covers 1,077 patent families, representing a global view of MSR-related innovation across all major filing jurisdictions.
TerraPower LLC leads with 168 patent records, ahead of the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences) at 119 and Terrestrial Energy at 88.
The United States leads with 331 patent records, followed by China at 288. WIPO PCT (179) and the European Patent Office (172) reflect broad international filing strategies by leading applicants.
The field is classified as Growth-stage, supported by a 39% increase in filings over the recent window and a peak annual count of 188 records in 2024. Recent years (2025–2026) appear lower due to publication lag, not a real decline.
Copenhagen Atomics shows the strongest momentum among established filers, with recent filings running at 3.0× the prior three-year rate. Abilene Christian University and Terrestrial Energy are also flagged as new entrants in the recent window.
Heat-exchange apparatus (F28D, 65 records) and nuclei conversion/transmutation (G21G, 44 records) are the most technically relevant adjacent branches with low filing density relative to the reactor-core dominant class G21C. These represent areas where coverage is comparatively sparse, though regulatory and materials challenges remain substantial.
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Disclaimer. This page is generated from PatSnap Eureka data drawn from a limited snapshot of global patent and scientific-literature records, and is provided for general information and reference only.
Patent data carries inherent limitations: recent filings (typically the most recent 18–24 months) are under-counted due to standard publication lag; counts may be reported at either a patent-family or a patent-record basis and are not always directly comparable; classification, applicant-name, and citation data may contain errors, duplicates, or omissions; and the underlying search query defines and constrains the scope shown. As a result, the analysis may be incomplete or inaccurate and may not reflect the full technology landscape.
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