Thorium, the green energy source for the future explores the history of the 90th element on the periodic table. Plagued by perennial uranium shortages, but possessing abundant thorium resources, india is highly motivated to develop thorium reactors that can breed uranium 233. Thorium power says thorium based nuclear fuels can be used in lwrs and other reactors without significant change to the reactor design. According to their enthusiastic proponents, these reactors will be smaller, safer, cheaper, cleaner, will take over the energy market in great numbers, and. The nasa story successfully counters this reputation.
As mentioned, thor was the first to begin energy production through thorium, but it now faces competition from firms in the nuclear industry around the world. Feb 29, 2012 thorium nuclear power a lesson from norway. Mar 01, 2015 thorium has several advantages over uranium nuclear power, but it also has its drawbacks. Thorium 232, which alone makes up nearly all natural thorium, is the most common isotope of thorium in the nature. Thorium research became a side show as a means to an end to produce u233, the only other fissionable feed isotope. The thorium energy conference thec gathered some of the worlds. Early thorium based msr nuclear reactor at oak ridge national laboratory in the 1960s. Nevertheless, if the choice is between keeping nuclear power facilities running or shutting them down and replacing them with coalfired power plants, the nuclear option with thorium as fuel is. If chinese business practices prevail, china might eventually become the worlds leading provider of nuclear fuel, nuclear power plants, and nuclear engineering services. Nuclear power deployment, operation and sustainability.
Looking across thorium based nuclear developments in japan, china, india, the uk and the us, we find out if thorium is as clean, green and safe as its supporters claim it to be. Although thorium is more abundant than uranium, the cost of uranium is a small fraction of the overall cost of nuclear energy. Overall, ryan is a proponent of nuclear power, especially using thorium. As the search for cheap, safe and noncarbon emitting sources of energy continues, a band of scientists say the answer may be nuclear reactors. The use of thorium as a new primary energy source has been a tantalizing. Like uranium, its properties allow it to be used to fuel a nuclear chain reaction that can run a power plant and make electricity among other things. Nils johan engelsen november 28, 2010 submitted as coursework for physics 240, stanford university, fall 2010.
Jul 15, 2012 one important technology that india is making inroads on is the thoriumfueled fast breeder nuclear reactor. New book on the future of nuclear power in china energy. It was amazing to read about how many times this resource has been overlooked by. Since the 1980s, geoscientists have puzzled over magnetic.
May 23, 2011 for 20 years, more or less, that was the single purpose of nuclear power. Thorium energy can help check co2 and global warming, cut deadly air pollution, provide. Several nations have explored thorium power for their nuclear energy portfolios. Jun, 2012 postfukushima, the debate on whether thorium is a better nuclear fuel than uranium has reached a new high. In fact, its halflife is considerably longer than the age of earth. When a thorium 230 nucleus decays, it emits radiation and changes into radium226. Advantage and disadvantages of thorium reactors pros and cons. Oct 20, 2010 the truth about thorium and nuclear power. Thorium is about three times more abundant in the earths crust than uranium.
Nuclear power corporation of india the kalpakkam fast breeder reactor, near tamil nadu. According to proponents, a thorium fuel cycle offers several potential advantages over a uranium fuel cycleincluding much greater abundance of thorium on earth, superior physical and nuclear fuel properties, and reduced nuclear waste production. See more in 1994 eagle scout david hahn told his teacher he would build a nuclear reactor as a science project. Thoriumbased nuclear power generation is fueled primarily by the nuclear fission of the isotope uranium233 produced from the fertile element thorium. Contrary to doubts over thorium nuclear power s capability at scale, the technology is sound in theory and needs to put into. Dont believe the spin on thorium being a greener nuclear. Why india wants to turn its beaches into nuclear fuel. May 27, 2011 the nrpa invalidated that thorium is kind nuclear power, as many have earlier asserted, said nils bohmer, nuclear physicist with bellona, a norwegian based environmental organization. The light water nuclear reactors lwr deployed in nuclear power stations developed simply as scaledup versions of nuclear submarine reactors, again driven by military impetus. Thorium fuels can breed fissile uranium233 to be used in various kinds of nuclear reactors. New book on the future of nuclear power in china neutron. Advances in small modular reactor technology developments. Nuclear reactors running on thorium are widely held to be inherently safer than the awful pressurizedwater reactors we have today.
In general, the nuclear fission results in the release of enormous quantities of energy. Thorium salt reactor experiments resume after 40 years. This will provide a green, safe energy source using an abundant fuel which will also solve the problem of present uranium. Thorium is a basic element of nature, like iron and uranium. This book presents a lucid explanation of the workings of thorium based reactors. Is thorium the biggest energy breakthrough since fire. Thorium fuel cycle is an attractive way to produce long term nuclear energy with low radiotoxicity waste. All the longterm strategies and scenarios for nuclear power, envisage the introduction of the thorium cycle at the appropriate stage in the 21st century for the conversion of the fertile thorium 232 to fissile uranium233. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoridebased, molten, liquid salt for fuel. Research has been published over the past few decades on the possible use of thorium in various nuclear power reactor types. At last a serious step forward on the road to safe thorium nuclear power.
The author provides a powerful case for using thorium as a superfuel. New dawn for thorium nuclear reactor research the engineer. Energy from thorium foundation brochure by the e generation. Thorium, the green energy source for the future macsci details a very convincing case for developing thorium molten sodium reactors as soon as possible to fill the gaps in energy generation worldwide. This publication was developed by nuclear power technology development section, division of nuclear power of the iaea department of nuclear energy in cooperation with member states. It holds little appeal for wouldbe bombnuclear power thorium seen as nuclears new frontier is a minor part of the system, he says.
It was amazing to read about how many times this resource has been overlooked by scientists and others seeking sources of fuel. This book presents a lucid explanation of the workings of thoriumbased reactors. Molten salt reactors and thorium energy 1st edition elsevier. The iaea officers responsible for this publication were m. This paper briefly goes over the background on using thorium as a source for nuclear reactors and discusses the major benefits and drawbacks of using thorium as an energy source for nuclear power.
Making safe nuclear power from thorium thomas jam pedersen. Thorium reactors are the latest big thing in nuclear spin. Thorium is the fuel we need for wastefree, safe nuclear energy, say proponents. Anti nuclear campaigner peter karamoskos goes further, dismissing a dishonest fantasy perpetuated by the pro nuclear lobby.
Thorium fuel cycle potential benefits and challenges. Thorium has been talked about for 70 years now and it will continue to be talked about in the future tense, i think, for the conceivable future, says m. Thorium nuclear power becomes to be discussed not only by nuclear specialists but. Several thorium fuelled reactor concepts are under consideration. Purchase molten salt reactors and thorium energy 1st edition. Lowenriched uranium leu is used widely in the nuclear power generation. Therefore, it is worthwhile to analyse the supply situation for additional thorium generated as a byproduct of commodities produced for non nuclear purposes. Nov 10, 2019 ill answer this specifically for molten salt reactors using the fuel dissolved in a fluoride salt.
Nov 15, 2016 while the world is still heavily relying on fossil fuels, thorium energy and nuclear reactors, which reuse nuclear waste, are now part of the energy debate, proposing a pollutionfree solution. There is growing awareness that nuclear energy is needed to complement intermittent energy sources and to avoid pollution from fossil fuels. Instead of using uranium in todays water cooled nuclear reactors, with thorium we can power our world more efficiently than ever before. Molten salt reactor experiment msre was run for around 5 years by oak ridge national lab ornl. Energy cheaper than coal is a fantastic fact based book on the problems surrounding our use of energy, and the alternatives that we can pursue. Nuclear energy produces carbonfree electricity, and the united states has used nuclear energy for decades to generate baseline power. The widespread view of nuclear power is as a force for destruction. Two of india s nuclear power reactors are loaded with thorium fuel in order to improve their operation when newlystarted. This book presents results on thorium as nuclear fuel, collected from the most eminent scientists, on all aspects including exploration and mining. The book includes an section of technical notes on sources which include many interviews with experts in china on that countrys nuclear energy efforts. However, the question remains whether it would be the right technology should australia choose to go nuclear. Now, as we grapple with the perils of nuclear energy and rogue atomic weapons, and mankind confronts the specter of global climate change, thorium is reemerging as the overlooked energy source as a small group of activists and outsiders is working, with the help of silicon valley investors, to build a thorium power industry.
Even though officials seem largely oblivious to its potential applications today, thorium s viability as an unlimited nuclear fuel was first discovered in 1942. Jul 04, 2011 why thorium nuclear power shouldnt be written off ecologist. Thoriumbased nuclear power generation is fueled primarily by the nuclear fission of the. India, and the united states explore the potential use of thorium for nuclear power, researchers say. Theres been a lot of talk about thorium lately, but whats it all about. Thorium is three to four times more abundant than uranium in earths crust. Aug 09, 2007 in the us, companies such as thorium power, which has done intensive research and work on thorium based nuclear designs, have already proved they can retrofit for thorium. With thorium, we could have safe nuclear power the globe. The fertile thorium 232 has to be converted into uranium233 first for use in a nuclear reactor. So, you need to take thorium and mix it to produce neutrons. It consists of six major sections housing twenty chapters on topics from the key subject areas pertinent to successful development, deployment and operation of nuclear power systems worldwide.
Thorium as nuclear fuel thorium is a basic element of nature, like iron and uranium. Thorium power has a protactinium problem bulletin of the. Some of the following points can be valid for one reactor design and another point can be invalid for another thorium based reactor. Future is not looking good for thorium nuclear reactors. As indias department of atomic energy clearly recognizes, we have rather meager reserves of uraniumwe, however, have nearly a third of the entire worlds thoriumour strategies for large scale deployment of nuclear energy must be, and are therefore, focused towards. To top it all off, thorium would also be the ideal solution for allowing countries like iran or north korea to have nuclear power without worrying whether their nuclear programs are a cover for. These thorium reactor pros and cons prove that there is a lot of potential in this technology. But the book inspired him to pursue an intense study of nuclear energy over the next few years, during which he became convinced that thorium could solve the nuclear power industrys most.
Thorium has properties like uranium which allows it to fuel a nuclear chain reaction. In this chapter, outline of thorium nuclear power will be introduced and its. Besides briefly covering everything technical you need to know. The amount of energy depends strongly on the nucleus to be fissioned and also depends strongly on the kinetic energy of an incident neutron. To do so efficiently requires a very different nuclear reactor than the kind we use today not one that uses solid fuel rods, but a reactor in which the fuel is kept in a liquid state. Molten salt reactors are well suited to thorium fuel, as normal fuel fabrication is avoided. During the reaction process, nuclear fuel generates heat to power turbines. Thorium could power the next generation of nuclear reactors.
Thorium could refuel the future of nuclear energy the. In addition, the transition to thorium could be done through the. Thorium resources as co and byproducts of rare earth. Molten salt reactors are well suited to thorium fuel, as normal fuel. Why thorium is a safer nuclear option the daily star. When this thorium fuel cycle is used, much less plutonium and other transuranic elements are produced, compared with uranium fuel cycles.
Nuclear energy economics are driven by the capital cost of the plant, and building a power plant with a thorium reactor is no cheaper than building a power plant with a uranium reactor. For anyone whos interested, i can only recommend the book super fuel by richard martin very well written and informative as to the story of thorium. Thorium is much more abundant in nature than uranium. The main proponent of thorium nuclear power technology is india which is pursuing the thorium route principally because of its concerns for security of supply for its nuclear fuel. In a typical design, the liquid is pumped between a critical core and an external heat exchanger where the heat is transferred to a nonradioactive secondary salt.
Major pros and cons of thorium nuclear power reactor ns. Jun 23, 2011 anti nuclear campaigner peter karamoskos goes further, dismissing a dishonest fantasy perpetuated by the pro nuclear lobby. Another question is how extensive the deepest magma chamber is. But since the consequences of proliferation are so dire, nuclear power plants need to have baseline proliferation safeguards in place.
Would a nuclear power source be more dangerous as an alpha or. Considering the countrys vast thorium resources, the longterm nuclear energy policy of india has been focused on utilization of thorium early on. For countries with nuclear capabilities, starting or reopening the research into the various methods of fueling a thorium reactor may be somewhat costly, but could also be lifechanging to future generations. I hope many politicians working with energy policy will read this book. Nuclear power thorium seen as nuclears new frontier. It may well turn out that thorium is the better nuclear fuel as compared with uranium, since it offers the advantages that. Staff writer feb 21, 2019 is thorium the great hope for a clean, viable and safe nuclear fuel alternative to uranium, or is it. Nuclear alternative through a partnership with dbi, the companys thorium reactor design provides a nuclear alternative to fossil fuel consumption, taking advantage of abundant and widely available thorium deposits.
What type of radiation, alpha, beta or gamma, is emitted by thorium. Major pros and cons of thorium nuclear power reactor. In the search for new and carbonneutral energy sources nuclear power is once again considered an option. Thorium, the nuclear power in rathdrum used generate electricity, fuel spyder vehicles, plasma guns etc. Posted august 22, 2017 nuclear power plants generate large amounts of reliable energy and dont release harmful carbon emissions. Nuclear power is one of the important sources of energy that is generated by using nuclear fission reaction. May 04, 2012 is thorium a magic bullet for our energy problems.
Despite the advantages of thorium nuclear power reactor applications, cheap natural gas could freeze out any major development of thorium based nuclear power plants in the near term. Implementation strategy of thorium nuclear power in the context of. Role of thorium to supplement fuel cycles of future. Aug 25, 2017 the researchers want to use thorium as a fuel for a molten salt reactor, one of the nextgeneration designs for nuclear power in which both the reactor coolant, and the fuel itself, are a mixture. Using the nuclear fuel, the reaction enables nuclear power plants to produce huge amount of electricity.
The point with thorium is you have a different fuel cycle, and one runs it through a reactor to mix it. This book is one in a series of books on nuclear power published by intech. Presidential medal of freedom, and georges charpak advise further study of the energy amplifier in their book megawatts and megatons 2001, pp. In a world of dwindling resources, and ongoing concerns over the safety of nuclear power, the film contends that thorium could be our last great hope. Feb 16, 2012 to top it all off, thorium would also be the ideal solution for allowing countries like iran or north korea to have nuclear power without worrying whether their nuclear programs are a cover for. Is thorium the fuel of the future to revitalize nuclear. Thoriumenergy for the future select papers from thec15 arun. To generate power, a nuclear reactor uses some fissile isotopes that include uranium235, plutonium239, and uranium233. As the search for cheap, safe and noncarbon emitting sources of energy continues, a band of scientists say the answer may be nuclear.
Thorium can be used as a nuclear fuel through breeding to uranium233 u233. Thorium fuels, therefore, complement uranium fuels and ensure long term sustainability of nuclear power. Really, most civilian power to bombs proliferation paths are mythical, in any reactor, because theyre so difficult. First new thorium salt reactor in 40 years comes online.
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