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‘E|SCIENCE| 2. Thorium Nuclear Energy China Opts For Thorium Power itself," he said. "They operate a Torun energy is a proven Fate this year, China revealed its atmospheric pressure, so you don’ technology which offers to meet plan to build a safer, cleaner and have the sort of hydrogen explosions the world's energy demands for ultimately cheaper network of we've seen in Japan. One of these many centuries, at a price cheaper reactors—based on thorium as a_ reactors would have come through than coal. fuel. This passed unnoticed, except the tsunami just fine. There would There is plenty of information in by a small band of thorium have been no radiation release." circulation about thorium energy. enthusiasts, but it may mark the US physicists in the late 1940s But, significantly, it relates to different passage of strategic leadership in explored thorium fuel for power. | concepts and technologies. Some energy policy from an inert and has a higher neutron yield than sources discuss thorium in solid form, status-quo West to a rising uranium, a better fission rating, which leaves most of the fuel unused, technological power willing to break longer fuel cycles and does no resulting in large amounts of waste. the mould. require the extra cost of isotope Some promote technologies which — "The reactor has an amazing safety separation. The plans were shelved use all the fuel, and preferably all the feature," said Kirk Sorensen, a former because thorium does not produce old waste with it. NASA engineer at Teledyne Brown _ plutonium for bombs. As a bonus, i During the 1940s there were two anda thorium expert. "If it beginsto can burn up plutonium and toxic competing fields of development, overheat, a little plug melts and the waste from old reactors, reducing represented by Enrico Fermi (co- salts drain into a pan. There is no radio-toxicity and acting as an eco- ather of the A-bomb) and the US need for computers, or the sort of cleaner. military on one side, and Eugene electrical pumps that were crippled (Source: Daily Telegraph, 20 Mar 2on, Wigner and Alvin Weinberg at Oak by the tsunami. The reactor saves _ Attp://tinyurl.com/4tsojde) Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) on the other side, advocating Uranium Fuel cycle vs Thorium horium energy, 7 1,000 MW of electricity for one year Sadly, due to political and military priorities of the time, Wigner and > Only 35tons a Weinberg's work ceased to receive eee enriched unding, and a commercial thorium . Uranium solution was never realised, despite eniger Uraeuen nig R meusable . a heir work successfully proving the Uranium 235 is burned concept of thorium energy. aa Waste: 35 tons Some of the main sources of sau Spent fuel incl. information about thorium energy iin ™ Plutonium originate from the days at ORNL C} ir to dispose of i? storage between 1940 and 1970. Most of 20tons natural > 10,000 years uranium Yellow Cake these scientific documents are available from the website www.energyfromthorium.com. - After this initial period of = development, thorium energy was g —) Within 10 year 83 left largely unpursued. But today the % of all waste is thorium energy movement is increasingly gathering momentum. Thorium mining A Thorium: introduced as 1 ton Fission (Source: International Thorium Ener 2 1 ton Thorium i i ining 17° : gY | 200tons ore fluoride saltintothe blanket — products Theremaining 17% Organisation [IThEO], http://www. itheo. of the Thoriumprocess-is go for 300 yearsto org/information) converted and burned. geologicalisolation, itself," he said. "They operate a atmospheric pressure, so you don’ ave the sort of hydrogen explosions we've seen in Japan. One of these reactors would have come through he tsunami just fine. There would ave been no radiation release." US physicists in the late 1940s explored thorium fuel for power. | as a higher neutron yield than uranium, a better fission rating, onger fuel cycles and does no require the extra cost of isotope separation. The plans were shelved because thorium does not produce plutonium for bombs. As a bonus, i can burn up plutonium and toxic waste from old reactors, reducing radio-toxicity and acting as an eco- cleaner. (Source: Daily Telegraph, 20 Mar 2on, http://tinyurl.com/4tsojde) UUU MW of electriony tor one year Only 35 tons enriched Uranium => “, areusable. | mp Uranium 235 is burned Uranium 235 is burned Waste: 35 tons spent fuel incl. Plutonium 215tons depleted uraniumremain, How to dispose of it? storage > 10,000 years NEXUS ¢ 49 AUGUST - SEPTEMBER 2011 www.nexusmagazine.com