Posted on 07/04/2013 12:17:13 PM PDT by Innovative
This stuff could very well revolutionize nuclear power. Thorium-MOX can be formed into rods and used in current generation (Gen II) nuclear reactor with minimal retrofitting.
Thor Energy is currently testing the new technology on the small scale. A prototype reactor will power a paper mill in the town of Halden, Norway for the next five years. If the fuel proves to be commercially viable during that test, we could see a sea change in nuclear power by the end of the decade.
(Excerpt) Read more at gizmodo.com ...
Thorium, the Norse Gods breakfast cereal choice. Hammers down.
Hey, wait! I thought the magic messiah was going to take care of all that!
“What’s the catch? Why aren’t these things being build by the hundreds around the world?”
Well, the big big big reason why uranium vs thorium is because in the 50’s and 60’s it became clear that weapons-suitable materials would not be produced by Th reactors. So that nugget is the fundamental germ, the fundamental synapse-switch by which the U-dominated nuclear industry arose and the Th route was discarded.
Th reactors have been known about since the late 50’s and early 60’s, indeed, a successful one was built at Oak Ridge and run for, I believe, a few years (including shutting it off for the weekends) before being abandoned. Th reactors have a lot of advantages but themselves present the specific challenge of irradiating their surroundings with gamma radiation and MUCH more intensely than U reactors. They produce much, much less “waste” but the waste they produce is very radioactive and very dangerous...from the exposure, not the bomb-making standpoint.
It should be pointed out that the article here is about an intriguing new hybrid concept which would allow mixing Th with MOX material in a way that would allow the use of Th in already existing reactors. (Th and U reactors are very very different in construction) No doubt, there would still be byproducts that would present engineering challenges as far as handling, but at least we could be getting rid of some of the nuclear “waste” that has been built up to the extent of hundreds of tons all over the world. A net positive, at least as far as I understand it so far. Add in the safety improvement of going to a lower-pressure system and eliminating a lot of the requirement for U-refining and it’s IMO a BIG, non-subtle net positive.
Thorium reactors could be used to turn the blades of wind turbines when there is no wind! You can have bird kills even when there is no wind! Problem solved...
“Knowledge will increase.”
“Fill the earth and subdue it.”
“He created man in His own image.”
They cannot easily be weaponized, hence, governments had less interest in building them.
Electricity seems always in need of hard wiring/grid. I wonder whether future generations will find an alternative. I look for the day when homes are not held captive to a central source in order to enjoy what electricity provides; perhaps independent micro nuclear cells. Whoever can market such a thing in a manner to cut electric bills down substantially will have a profitable business.
But we will never totally eliminate economic disparity, injustice, grief, greed, and anxiety by our own efforts, no matter how slick the program. “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Anything using radioactivity of any kind is evil, dontchaknow.
Let's hope that you misspoke.
That's why British socialists oppose thorium research. Thorium reactors will consume nuclear waste and remove the biggest drawback to nuclear power. Therefore, thorium is the enemy. Look for upcoming U.S. opposition to thorium research.
Previously, the enemy became shale gas, since it would substitute for coal. Damage to aquifers was an issue invented after the fact, even though the industry had already put casing procedures in place to prevent damage: see MIT report commissioned by Obama's own DOE.
The object was/is to destroy capitalist society by starving it of energy.
But thorium has to be radioactive, too, for this to work, right? What makes it less dangerous than uranium?
Thorium reactors emit dangerous gamma rays, which must be shielded. The half-life of the radioactive material is short, however. I'm no expert, but there is lots of info on this on the Net.
Exactly. Liberal environmentalists are anti-human. (That they are anti-Capitalist goes without saying, since many are Marxists)
Only big problem is Thorium transmutates to U233 (fissionable) which is high gamma ray producer. Makes fueling dangerous.
Thanks for the info. You guys seem to know what yer talking about.
Hulk SMASH!!! ;-)
Thorium reactors could be used to turn the blades of wind turbines when there is no wind! You can have bird kills even when there is no wind! Problem solved...
Thank you, 17th Miss Regt!
Come on over to my house for drinks and barbecue. Just turn that way about a mile before you get to the big white Victorian farm house that burned down about ten years ago.
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