Bending the Third Rail
Because We Should, We Can, We Do
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Can Nuclear Be Green
Check out this very interesting article on new technology that utilizes thorium instead of uranium as a source of nuclear fuel for electricity generation:
What if we could build a nuclear reactor that offered no possibility of a meltdown, generated its power inexpensively, created no weapons-grade by-products, and burnt up existing high-level waste as well as old nuclear weapon stockpiles? And what if the waste produced by such a reactor was radioactive for a mere few hundred years rather than tens of thousands? It may sound too good to be true, but such a reactor is indeed possible, and a number of teams around the world are now working to make it a reality. What makes this incredible reactor so different is its fuel source: thorium.
Turns out thorium can be engineered to provide the heat (and energy) of a nuclear chain reaction without remaining radioactive for 10,000 years. Also, it looks like this type of reactor can "eat" the more dangerous uranium and plutonium.

And it's more abundant on earth than uranium.

I don't know if thorium is the answer. But certainly this is the type of research and thinking that needs to be going on. Rather than looking at the energy crisis and returning to old solutions such as coal, more oil drilling, cleaning up fossil fuels, and uranium fired nuclear plants, we should be working to have our cake and eat it too .... that is to have a clean, cheap and environmentally friendly energy source. It's clearly possible. We just need to $$$ and willpower to do it.
Written at 12:59 PM by Greyhair.
3 comments
3 Comments:
Blogger Lynne said...
That is fascinating and exciting.
It would be interesting to see what Iran's response would be if the U.N. offered to let them build nuclear power plants for peaceful purposes using thorium. It would be pretty apparent what their true intentions are.
4:53 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...
Here's another document that talks about the possibilities of thorium and how different reactors can take advantage of it:

WASH-1097: The Use of Thorium in Nuclear Power Reactors
6:26 AM  
Blogger Lynne said...
Thanks Kirk. Much of this is over my head but I hope someone in a position of power will steer us in the right direction.
9:44 AM  
Post a Comment
<< Home