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Question: Thorium (90 on the periodic table) - Why did America abandon this energy tech back in the 70's?
The following video doesn't really answer that question, but it does make it a poignant one.
The title of this video is misleading. There is no Thorium powered car mentioned in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6wQP2qaaEk
Very interesting, but I wonder if anyone will pursue it if it's so cheap to use... No profit in using dirt to make energy... go figure...
I know this is dated; however, it had to do with politics mainly but there are some serious safety issues.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire$torm
You have to keep in mind that the first nuclear powered submarine, the USS Nautilus, was put in commission in 1954 under the supervision of Admiral Hyman G. Rickover. The successful deployment of the nuclear program in the navy lead way to nuclear power generation as commercial applications and the first commercial power plant went on line in 1957.
The thorium based power plant wasn't tested until 1965. The problem is that it was a new and mainly untested technology when you already had reactors using a time-proven technology. By this time, natural uranium reactors were the big boys on the block and they had no intention of letting someone new on the playground.
I've seen some great videos that tell you how Thorium based molten salt reactors are going to save the world. What they don't tell you in those videos... Material Degradation, salt is a corrosive... Tritium Production, isn't easily containable... Remote Maintenance, expensive (not all things can be replacement by human hands-on)... Complex Chemical Plant, separation of fission product is difficult... IAEA Difficulties, not easy to track the actinides (elements with atomic numbers 89 to 103) to make sure no one is making bombs.
Some good links about Thorium & Molten Salt Reactors.
Myths and Misconceptions about Thorium nuclear fuel
Thorium As Nuclear Fuel
Molten Salt Reactors
I actually stumbled on a documentary recently about Molten salt reactors. Very interesting watch. Especially when they demo'ed what would happen if the molten salt plant lost power, AKA the Fukushima disaster. They also covered a lot of the current problems being faced by the Fukushima cleanup teams. Definitely things to watch for. There are currently a number of startups with plans for mini reactors with a molten salt based design that should be hitting the global market relatively soon.
I've heard some scuttlebutt that they are going to build a new nuclear facility in the U.S. but I haven't taken the time to search this out. The funny thing is nuclear is a renewable energy source but the alt-energy people I dealt with in the past sure don't like to talk about it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mumps
Me... I'm a big nuke fan and not so much an alt-energy advocate after having been in that arena for 10 years. So tired of hearing people say, "Why don't we have solar panels on this building??? Solar energy is FREE!"
No it's not and you're clueless... Now get away from me you tree-hugging hippy freak!
Don't get me started.
Pretty sure China and India are testing LFTRs fueled by thorium. This is a technology that can be scaled to household power scales up to cities. My dad has been selling industrial gas turbines for decades and he said this will end them if we can get off the oil drip.