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To: Haddit

Surprising the Chinese did not go to nuclear to power this ship.

Annual fuel costs alone would make for a very quick payback.

And if a uranium-fueled nuclear generation plant is too large and complex for cargo ship use, then build and install a thorium-fueled Molten-Salt generation plant. They can be both much smaller and more flexible than the light-water plant.

And the technology is currently available.

A fleet of such cargo ships would DOMINATE the world shipping lanes, because per-unit shipping costs would be sharply lower, and speed of transport could be conceivably somewhat quicker, as turnaround at the port is limited only by loading and unloading capabilities - no refueling time for YEARS.


11 posted on 10/28/2015 3:31:59 AM PDT by alloysteel (Do not argue with trolls. That means they win.)
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To: alloysteel
A fleet of such cargo ships would DOMINATE the world shipping lanes, because per-unit shipping costs would be sharply lower, and speed of transport could be conceivably somewhat quicker, as turnaround at the port is limited only by loading and unloading capabilities - no refueling time for YEARS.

And would be targets of terrorists for decades who wanted to get ahold of nuclear material for dirty bombs. Or just make the cargo ship a dirty bomb and blow the reactor while unloading in Long Beach, CA.

13 posted on 10/28/2015 3:44:02 AM PDT by Yo-Yo
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To: alloysteel

Is this ready for Commercially ready for Prime time?
And is anything with molten sodium in a harsh corrosive marine water environment, a good idea?
(I know it would supposedly be a closed loop system)

RE: “thorium-fueled Molten-Salt generation plant.”


17 posted on 10/28/2015 3:57:24 AM PDT by MarchonDC09122009 (When is our next march on DC? When have we had enough?)
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