/sci/ - Science & Math » Thread #12732030

146KiB, 1278x972, Thorium.png

View Same Google iqdb SauceNAO

Thorium Reactors

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 08:00:59 2021 No.12732030 View Reply Original Report

Quoted By: >>12732071 >>12732174 >>12732185 >>12732192 >>12732340 >>12734130

Redpill me on this. Why are they not being researched more? What are the advantages? Any draw backs? I want to know it all

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 08:17:22 No.12732071 Report

Quoted By: >>12732098

>>12732030
They're researching it in China
So we'll just buy their reactors

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 08:30:24 No.12732098 Report

Quoted By: >>12732205

>>12732071
Why is America not doing anything with them?

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 08:57:54 No.12732174 Report

Quoted By:

>>12732030
um, why would you want this when you could just erect windmills and hydroelectronic dams? you have to think green lol

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 09:03:21 No.12732185 Report

Quoted By:

>>12732030
These things are promoted and opposed by cult-like followers. It prevents any serious discussion or research from happening.

Anonymous

View Same Google iqdb SauceNAO B9DFCF3E-7C01-4C2F-8EF3-53B4A3B2 (...).png, 347KiB, 698x932

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 09:07:56 No.12732192 Report

Quoted By:

>>12732030
It’s outdated shit tech that’s been antiquated by recent developments in SMR. Pic very related.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 09:17:59 No.12732205 Report

Quoted By: >>12732222

>>12732098
because America has enough uranium for centuries
China and India have more thorium than uranium, which is why they are developing reactors using it
there's no point of switching, especially when you have the processing plants build - it's like switching to a different railway gauge because one is "more slick"

you can even make the same exact liquid salt design with uranium and it likely would work even better
the reason why nobody is building either of them is that the average voter watched The Simpsons and thinks nuclear power is bad
Thorium being shilled as safer/non-weapon is just to trick idiots, who don't know anything about anything, to allow the needed new nuclear powerplants get build

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 09:27:58 No.12732222 Report

Quoted By: >>12732229 >>12732240

>>12732205
But don't thorium reactors create less waste and whatever waste is created can be used as more fuel. Seems pretty efficient to me.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 09:32:16 No.12732229 Report

Quoted By:

>>12732222
no
you can use uranium the same exact way
the reason why we don't is that mining fresh uranium is cheaper and politically safer than building new reactors

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 09:37:37 No.12732240 Report

Quoted By:

>>12732222
Thorium reactors just make a different kind of waste that has its own challenges. The big advantage is that it has a shorter half-life than natural uranium waste, but it is very hot and water soluble, which really sucks for short term handling.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 09:53:15 No.12732264 Report

Quoted By:

https://youtu.be/XMuxjHLLk0E?t=4m

URANIUM
---------------------------------------------
Uranium fuel rod
U-235 5%
U-238 95%

when rod is used
U-235 breaks up
U-238 --> U-239 --> Np-239 --> Pu-239

after U-235 portion drops to 0.3%
the rod is used up

waste storage: 10,000 years

Pu-239 can be used to build nuclear weapons

THORIUM
---------------------------------------------
Th-232 --> Th-233 --> Pa-233 --> U-233

U-233 is then used to make pellets

when pellets are used
no U-238 in pellets => no Pu-239 is created
U-233 --> U-232 --> Tl-208

waste storage: 300 years

U-233 can be used to build nuclear weapons,
but only after the U-232 is separated from the mix

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutonium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thallium

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_uranium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_plutonium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_thorium
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isotopes_of_thallium

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uranium-232

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium_fuel_cycle

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 10:26:54 No.12732325 Report

Quoted By:

It's funny when people think that the continuous processing of decay products from molten salt reactors is an advantage.
It tells the Thorium shill from the actual informed person. These mini reactors are a brainlet filter too.

You don't use continuous processing of decay products because it is convenient, but because you have to. Fresh Thorium cycle fission products are insanely radioactive, they can't be safely transported and therefore EVERY Thorium reactor needs its own waste processing facility, which drives the minimum size of a molten salt reactor power plant over that of a conventional plant.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 10:37:44 No.12732340 Report

Quoted By: >>12735824

>>12732030
Literally all the benefits come from using a molten salt reactor. There's no specific reason to use thorium. Like a decade back a bunch of guys who owned extraction rights to thorium-rich deposits off Australia pushed the thorium reactor thing super hard hoping to get a big payday but it never took off.

Anonymous

Anonymous Sat 20 Feb 2021 20:19:33 No.12734130 Report

Quoted By:

>>12732030
the advantages over traditional uranium reactors aren't that great. Molten salt may have some advantages though.

Anonymous

View Same Google iqdb SauceNAO 1533116958852.gif, 137KiB, 340x340

Anonymous Sun 21 Feb 2021 04:14:28 No.12735824 Report

Quoted By:

>>12732340
>trying to push for nuclear power in Australia

Capcode	All Only User Posts Only Moderator Posts Only Admin Posts Only Developer Posts
Show Posts	All Only With Images Only Without Images
Deleted Posts	All Only Deleted Posts Only Non-Deleted Posts
Ghost Posts	All Only Ghost Posts Only Non-Ghost Posts
Post Type	All Only Sticky Threads Only Opening Posts Only Reply Posts
Results	All Grouped By Threads
Order	Latest Posts First Oldest Posts First

Your latest searches