When operating a sealed molten salt reactor at 1050°C, the researcher cannot visually distinguish molten metal droplets from molten salt because everything glows orange, making observation through viewing ports or open reactors ineffective.

Workarounds Described

• uses colored glass filters to try to block orange light
• attempts to remove IR filter from a cheap digital camera
• considers welding goggles to reduce brightness

Implied Software Gaps

• Real-time image processing software that subtracts background glow and highlights metal droplets
• Automated emissivity comparison tool for IR camera data

MeltVue ContrastScope

A low-cost optical contrast enhancement system for high-temperature molten material observation. It uses a bright green LED light source and a narrowband green filter on the viewing port to create high contrast between reflective metal droplets and the orange-glowing salt, plus an optional IR camera attachment to detect emissivity differences. Designed for researchers on a tight budget.

Existing Solutions Mentioned