Posted on 07/24/2013 9:21:40 AM PDT by ckilmer
The down side? Starting one still requires Uranium, since thorium cannot self-start, the salt is very corrosive at these high temperatures, and the salt needs to be preheated before introducing it to the reactor. A reactor that is allowed to cool with the salt in it would be a real problem.
Once you jump start the process with U233, thorium begins to fissure off in a nice thermal cycle. When it fissures, it gives of neutrons and perpetuates the cycle.
Some ask why we need U233, U235, and P238 for a LFTR? That’s because thorium is fertile as opposed to fissile.
According to the surviving scientists who worked on the LFTR project, they created solutions to handle the corrosion problem with high nickle alloys and introducing additives to the molten mix.
I think before any salts were to solidify in the core, the safety plugs would melt and the liquids would drain into special tanks. After that, it’s just a matter of heating the emergency tanks and repumping the liquids back into the core. Since salt holds heat for a long time, it takes time to solidify.
Post 19...
Change 1MgW to 1GW
I stand corrected. I had been led to believe that U-233 fission resulted in nastier isotopes than U-235.
I researched it briefly a couple of years ago, and it seemed very promising. Damn shame they didn’t pursue the technology back then. Energy independence would have taken on a whole new meaning.
One thing that you have to remember is that the excess heat and energy from the Thorium Reactors can be used for Desalinization and for Making Hydrogen.
the hydrogen can also be combined with atmospheric CO2 to make Diesel, gasoline and ammonia fertilizer
Yes....I was also going to state that. Honestly, the reason that I did not is because of those CO2 alarmists that use this as a reason to go to Thorium.
Even Kirk Sorensen buys into the BS about the CO2 which pisses me off so much because the man is brilliant.
I will take Thorium Benefits for $500.
One thing that you have to remember is that the excess heat and energy from the Thorium Reactors can be used for Desalinization and for Making Hydrogen.
....
No sh-t shirlock. I’ve seen presentations which claim with thorium lftr reactors they can cut the cost of electricity to 1/10th the cost of lowest cost coal. That would just about make desalinized water cheap enough for agriculture. Which would mean they could turn the deserts green and double the size of habitable earth.
The Desalinization is from the waste heat and not from using electricity.
The Desalinization is from the waste heat and not from using electricity.
........
Maybe so. But the cost of piping desalinized water inland from the coast would be substantially reduced if the cost of electricity were 1/10 current cheapest coal costs.
Also to crush the cost of pipe laying they may need to continuously extrude pipeline rather than lay it in pieces.
For one thing, the radioactive "waste" from an LFTR is very useful in nuclear medicine and one byproduct--plutonium-238--can be fashioned into an ultra long-life electric power source for spacecraft. That could mean manned spacecraft to Mars and back won't need heavy, volume-wasting solar panels to provide power.
Besides, consider the other advantages of LFTR's:
1. It uses commonly-found thorium-232 dissolved in molten sodium fluoride salts as fuel, vastly cheaper than uranium-235 processed into fuel rods.
2. it does not need a pressurized reactor vessel.
3. It can even use reprocessed spent uranium-235 fuel rods or even plutonium-239 from dismantled nuclear weapons dissolved in molten sodium fluoride salts as reactor fuel.
4. During an emergency (SCRAM) shutdown, all you need to do is dump the liquid fuel mix out of the reactor vessel. It can be done completely mechanically, very important in earthquake-prone areas like Japan or the US West Coast.
5. By using closed-loop Brayton turbines to generate electricity, we eliminate the need for expensive cooling towers or having to locate the reactor site near a large body of cooling water.
6. The amount of nuclear waste generated is very small, and the waste only has a half-life of under 300 years. That means waste disposal can be done at disused salt mines or salt domes--if the nuclear medicine industry doesn't grab it first!
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