Mjolnir.
Posted on 05/17/2011 1:06:27 PM PDT by ckilmer
Nobel physicist Carlo Rubbia says a ton of thorium produces energy like as 200 tons of uranium, or 3.5 million tons of coal.
(Excerpt) Read more at articles.baltimoresun.com ...
Thor, the Marvel Comics superhero, hammered his way into movie theaters over the weekend, saving the world, winning Natalie Portman and grossing about $66 million. Kenneth Branagh’s “Thor” is based on Stan Lee’s Thor, which is based on the Thor of Norse mythology — god of thunder and protector of mankind.
Some pioneering scientists of the early 19th century were so taken with Thor’s immortal powers that they named a radioactive element after him. Nearly two centuries later, some modern scientists, including a Nobel Prize laureate, believe thorium could play a major role in saving mankind from global warming.
The silvery metal could be — by some estimates, it already is — the next big leap in reactors, the fuel that could give the stalled nuclear renaissance a post-Fukushima boost. It is said to be far safer, far more abundant and less expensive than uranium, leaving less waste and, in some estimations, reducing the risk of explosions and meltdowns at power plants to zero.
Patrick Cox, a technology watcher and self-described “transformational profit seeker” for the Baltimore-based economic prognosticator Agora Financial, remains bullish on a nuclear renaissance despite Fukushima, and his reason is about the size of a golf ball.
“Imagine,” he says, “a piece of rock the size of a golf ball giving a person a lifetime supply of electricity. A piece the size of an SUV could give a lifetime supply of energy to a town of about 50,000 people.”
Nobel physicist Carlo Rubbia’s widely quoted estimate is that a ton of thorium can produce as much energy as 200 tons of uranium, or 3.5 million tons of coal.
If there is ever going to be a nuclear expansion sufficient to significantly reduce coal-fired (and greenhouse gas-producing) electrical generation, thorium may be the answer, say its supporters. It can solve a lot of the problems associated with the present generation of nuclear reactors and instill public confidence in atomic energy as the long-term alternative to fossil fuels.
China considers thorium technology environmentally safe, cost effective and politically palatable; it is pushing ahead with its development. So are India and Russia. The pro-nuclear French are not in the game yet because they have invested heavily in the present generation of reactors. The U.S. used thorium to breed nuclear fuel nearly 50 years ago but moved heavily into uranium in order to have the weapons-grade plutonium needed in the Cold War. Thorium provides no such byproduct.
Is it two hundred times as hard to obtain, too?
All speculation, no details on how someone might actually build a reactor using this stuff...
So, you can count this along with Steorn’s Orbo for the time being.
Like as neither the Baltimore Sun nor Carlo Rubbia know how to use the English language.
that was my bad.
nope
Why can’t I shake the feeling that obama will find an excuse to prohibit its use?
Thorium has had non-nuclear uses for decades and isn’t particularly hard to come by. One old use is mantles in gas and kerosene lamps (when heated it shines brightly). It also was used on the cathodes of vacuum tubes, including CRTs, to improve their capability of emitting electrons.
Thorium, US energy independence and Obama´s Sputnik moment
By Coach Collins, on May 17th, 2011
When stacked up against the energy costs associated with various sources, thorium is stunning. One lb. of Thorium according to Nobel laureate Carlo Rubbia is equal to 200 lbs. of uranium, or a breathtaking 3.5 million lbs. of coal.
Fuel costs for thorium are a tiny $0.00004/kWh versus coal and natural gas at less than 10 cents/kWh; conventional nuclear at approximately 10 cents /kWh; wind appx. 14 cents /kWh; solar thermal about 26 cents/kWh and solar photovoltaic a hefty 40 cents/kWh.
The U.S.G.S.’ estimate of 915,000 tons of high quality thorium ore (just considering holdings in Idaho and Montana) establish the U.S. as arguably the #1 thorium holding nation in the world.
Now if Obama is known for anything it is for his majestic non-sequiturs. His 2011 State of the Union proves the point. He stated: ” At stake is whether new jobs and industries take root in this country, or somewhere else. It’s whether the hard work and industry of our people is rewarded.” Later on, he claimed “This is our generation’s Sputnik moment”.
While Obama curiously mentioned Oak Ridge in his address he did so highlighting efforts to basically tweak existing nuclear technology and ignored thorium reactors and the (if I can plagiarize his speech a bit) hard work and industry of our people (plus the millions of dollars already spent) to develop them.
Obama also seems to be oblivious to the fact that a Chinese delegation visited Oak Ridge in the autumn of 2010 and expressed interest in thorium fuel to scientists there. America’s economic crisis demands a quantum reduction in energy generation costs through thorium based power and the spectacular job creating dynamics these massive savings entail.
Following up, no doubt, on their visit to Oak Ridge, the Chinese announced within days of Obama’s 2011 State of the Union Address that they intend to not only develop a research & development effort to create molten salt thorium reactors, but also to develop and control intellectual property rights to thorium for their own advantage! The Sputnik moment indeed has arrived.
http://www.coachisright.com/thorium-us-energy-independence-and-obama%C2%B4s-sputnik-moment/#
Often, it is an unwanted nuisance in Rare Earth refining.
"What to do with the thorium" is one reason we shut down our R.E. mines and let China hold the World hostage with their monopoly of Rare Earths like cerium and lanthanum.
So the chinese would be crazy not to exploit their thorium.
Often, it is an unwanted nuisance in Rare Earth refining.
"What to do with the thorium" is one reason we shut down our R.E. mines and let China hold the World hostage with their monopoly of Rare Earths like cerium and lanthanum.
So the chinese would be crazy not to exploit their thorium.
Your bad WHAT????
Sorry. Nothing personal. I just hate seeing (and HEARING) adjectives used as nouns. And that includes the term "military."
Kenneth Branagh? You mean, the same Kenneth Branagh who did HENRY V? Damn. From Shakespeare to comic books. I suppose comic books are the high literature of our age. I’d rather read a comic book than anything written by an MFA.
Interesting. I’ll talk to one of my buddies about it he’ll tell me all I need to know.
My son just got out of the Navy as a Nuke and is a reactor operator. He is coming down to celebrate my birthday in a couple of weeks by taking me to hear the Chicago Symphony so I’ll talk with him about this.
my mistake on both counts.
Thanks for the ping, FreeKeys. Ping to doug (Stan Lee).
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