Posted: 1/20/2011 9:49:08 AM EDT
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After reading a few articles on it , like at http://www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/ , I'm curious why we're not developing MSRs for national use. In short, the US has enough thorium to last us anywhere from 1,000 years to 10,000 years at current energy levels , depending on who you listen to. The reactors can't melt down, and produce very little waste that is inert within 200 years. |
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I would guess part of it is that the status quo industries are protecting themselves. Another issue is public ignorance/fear. Let's be frank: just raise the term 'reactor' & mothers everywhere freak out, "ZOMGWTFBBQ my baby!!!"-style. This country could be generating power on the grid with uranium gas fission reactors - which also can not melt down - & yet we continue to predominantly use coal conversion to generate power. Somehow, people think that if everyone gets an electric car tomorrow & just plugs in to the grid that emissions will drop & the smog in LA will burn away. But try to explain the concept of conservation of mass/energy & how the coal-fired plants will just have to burn more to meet the higher demand for electricity & heads explode for lack of comprehension.
So, to answer your question succinctly, it isn't happening because of stupid. |
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I would guess part of it is that the status quo industries are protecting themselves. Another issue is public ignorance/fear. Let's be frank: just raise the term 'reactor' & mothers everywhere freak out, "ZOMGWTFBBQ my baby!!!"-style. This country could be generating power on the grid with uranium gas fission reactors - which also can not melt down - & yet we continue to predominantly predominantly use coal conversion to generate power. Somehow, people think that if everyone gets an electric car tomorrow & just plugs in to the grid that emissions will drop & the smog in LA will burn away. But try to explain the concept of conservation of mass/energy & how the coal-fired plants will just have to burn more to meet the higher demand for electricity & heads explode for lack of comprehension. So, to answer your question succinctly, it isn't happening because of stupid. An excellent point. This is why MRI instruments aren't called Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging instruments: people are ignorant. The nuclear industry should do the same thing. Take the thorium reactor and call it an "Einsteinian Energy source" and sell it as green. In 8 months celebrities and reporters will be demanding that we build them as rapidly as possible. ETA: That post is also excellent given your user name. |
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Quoted: ... So, to answer your question succinctly, it isn't happening because of stupid. Just like McDonalds dropping their styrofoam recycling project because the enviro-weenies pressured them into using non-degrading wax impregnated paper products instead.... and paper is EVER so clean to produce! |
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Tell me what this is from and win the internetz: But the Thorium Trust’s Plant No. 8 never came back. The revolution against the planar culture began with that simple fact. The first of the Okie cities soared away from the solar system, looking for work among the colonists left stranded by the ebb tide of Western civilization. The new culture began- among |
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Tell me what this is from and win the internetz: But the Thorium Trust’s Plant No. 8 never came back. The revolution against
the planar culture began with that simple fact. The first of the Okie cities soared away from the solar system, looking for work among the colonists left stranded by the ebb tide of Western civilization. The new culture began- among Simak? "Cities in Flight"? |
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I think it would be worth investigating, but when scaled up immensely for commercial purposes I don't know if it can be done. A lot more research has to be done. Excellent point. One co., Lightbridge (formerly Thorium Power), has done consulting overseas regarding Thorium reactors. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Tell me what this is from and win the internetz: But the Thorium Trust’s Plant No. 8 never came back. The revolution against the planar culture began with that simple fact. The first of the Okie cities soared away from the solar system, looking for work among the colonists left stranded by the ebb tide of Western civilization. The new culture began- among Simak? "Cities in Flight"?   |
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Already being done in India. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium#Existing_thorium_energy_projects
"Existing thorium energy projects India's Kakrapar-1 reactor is the world's first reactor which uses thorium rather than depleted uranium to achieve power flattening across the reactor core.[27] India, which has about 25% of the world's thorium reserves, is developing a 300 MW prototype of a thorium-based Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR). The prototype is expected to be fully operational by 2011, following which five more reactors will be constructed.[28] Considered to be a global leader in thorium-based fuel, India's new thorium reactor is a fast-breeder reactor and uses a plutonium core rather than an accelerator to produce neutrons. As accelerator-based systems can operate at sub-criticality they could be developed too, but that would require more research.[29] India currently envisages meeting 30% of its electricity demand through thorium-based reactors by 2050.[30]" |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Tell me what this is from and win the internetz: But the Thorium Trust’s Plant No. 8 never came back. The revolution against the planar culture began with that simple fact. The first of the Okie cities soared away from the solar system, looking for work among the colonists left stranded by the ebb tide of Western civilization. The new culture began- among Simak? "Cities in Flight"? http://wiki.urbandead.com/images/e/e6/One_internetz.jpg "Cities in Flight" was written by James Blish, not Clifford Simak. |
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Quoted: I play with Thorium a couple times a month. TIG welding aluminum, Thoriated Tungsten, it's still mildly radioactive I collect various mildly radioactive items to use in our nuclear physics units in class. I need to find some of the thoriated welding rod to go in the kit. |
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Quoted: Quoted: I play with Thorium a couple times a month. TIG welding aluminum, Thoriated Tungsten, it's still mildly radioactive I collect various mildly radioactive items to use in our nuclear physics units in class. I need to find some of the thoriated welding rod to go in the kit. It's the tungsten electrode, not the filler rod, just make sure you get the right thing...  |
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Tell me what this is from and win the internetz: But the Thorium Trust’s Plant No. 8 never came back. The revolution against
the planar culture began with that simple fact. The first of the Okie cities soared away from the solar system, looking for work among the colonists left stranded by the ebb tide of Western civilization. The new culture began- among Simak? "Cities in Flight"? http://wiki.urbandead.com/images/e/e6/One_internetz.jpg
"Cities in Flight" was written by James Blish, not Clifford Simak. Simak wrote "City" about mans exodus from Earth. |
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I asked my dad about this a couple of months ago. He's a nuclear engineer for Westinghouse so I figured he'd know. According to him, most of the modern US Nuke plants have built in their design the ability to convert to thorium as their fuel. However, the cost of thorium versus uranium dictates why we haven't started converting our reactors.
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I asked my dad about this a couple of months ago. He's a nuclear engineer for Westinghouse so I figured he'd know. According to him, most of the modern US Nuke plants have built in their design the ability to convert to thorium as their fuel. However, the cost of thorium versus uranium dictates why we haven't started converting our reactors. Is thorium more expensive simply due to economy of scale, or are there technical reasons why preparing thorium fuel is more expensive? |
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Quoted: I imagine it's due to economy of scale , we've been mining uranium for bombs + reactors for around 50 years now. Quoted: I asked my dad about this a couple of months ago. He's a nuclear engineer for Westinghouse so I figured he'd know. According to him, most of the modern US Nuke plants have built in their design the ability to convert to thorium as their fuel. However, the cost of thorium versus uranium dictates why we haven't started converting our reactors. Is thorium more expensive simply due to economy of scale, or are there technical reasons why preparing thorium fuel is more expensive? |
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I asked my dad about this a couple of months ago. He's a nuclear engineer for Westinghouse so I figured he'd know. According to him, most of the modern US Nuke plants have built in their design the ability to convert to thorium as their fuel. However, the cost of thorium versus uranium dictates why we haven't started converting our reactors. Is thorium more expensive simply due to economy of scale, or are there technical reasons why preparing thorium fuel is more expensive? Not a clue. I would have asked him for details at the time but when he starts talking Nuke stuff it's like Greek to me. |
