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Technology Stocks : The *NEW* Frank Coluccio Technology Forum -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (35511)	9/6/2010 12:22:46 AM
From: fred g	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 46821

About time somebody mentioned thorium. It was demonstrated in the 1950s, in Shippingport, so the theory is basically proven. It cannot melt down. It cannot be used to make weapons. The domestic supply of raw thorium is plentiful and cheap. The reactor is simple and thus can be produced more cheaply than uranium reactors, leading to cheaper power. It burns the thorium far more efficiently than a uranium reactor burns its fuel, and thus leaves very little nuclear waste, generally at a low level, after running for a few decades. Hell, it's so non-military we could give a reactor to the Iranians and North Koreans and not worry about it. Its development in the US was nixed by Rickover in 1974 because it was not suitable for submarines or for weapon-making, and the nuclear program in the US was insistently dual-use military/civilian. But between the military and the vested interests trying to revive ancient uranium designs, the US is ignoring the technology. China and India are taking the lead. We can only wish them well.

To: Frank A. Coluccio who wrote (35511)	9/6/2010 12:26:21 AM
From: axial	Respond to of 46821

Thorium * Thorium is much more abundant in nature than uranium. * Thorium can also be used as a nuclear fuel through breeding to fissile uranium-233. world-nuclear.org Thorium becomes U233 when irradiated. Without irradiation, it's not a fuel. We discussed modular, fail-safe pebble-bed reactors in 2004 [ Message 20894405 ] As the link above indicates, use of thorium in such reactors is an option. I still believe pebble-bed reactors are at least as attractive and safe as (probably more safe than) other advanced designs being proposed. Scalability and modularization are important benefits. Use of flouride and sodium in reactors for any reason is questionable, IMO. Jim