tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post777733641509599877..comments2024-02-16T17:52:44.944-06:00Comments on The Nuclear Green Revolution: Advice to the New Thorium IndustryCharles Bartonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01125297013064527425noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post-67070214030563022852008-03-18T09:04:00.000-05:002008-03-18T09:04:00.000-05:00Thanks for the reply. Clearly molten flouride reac...Thanks for the reply. Clearly molten flouride reactors are the way to go. I only hope they can be develpoed and brought into commercial use in a reasonable time period.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post-35897644425321973692008-03-17T19:55:00.000-05:002008-03-17T19:55:00.000-05:00In oxide form, thorium is significantly more diffi...In oxide form, thorium is significantly more difficult to reprocess than uranium oxide, which itself is already difficult to reprocess.<BR/><BR/>This is yet another reason for fluoride reactors to exploit the thorium resource. There simply isn't an economic advantage to using thorium in solid-fueled reactors like LWRs and CANDUs.<BR/><BR/>In any low- or natural-enrichment reactor (like LWRs and CANDUs) thorium will have to displace U-238 (which is also fertile). That will simply require greater levels of enrichment, which are expensive for LWRs and CANDUs. In the case of CANDUs, going to any level of enrichment negates much of the original argument for the reactor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7597656451205429515.post-36483607177226256092008-03-17T19:23:00.000-05:002008-03-17T19:23:00.000-05:00Another excellent post! You make a very persuasiv...Another excellent post! <BR/><BR/>You make a very persuasive case for molten fluoride reactors as the best long term option for the thorium fuel cycle, but finding a way to use thorium in existing reactor designs seems like the best way of promoting thorium use in the shorter term.<BR/><BR/>Do you think the uranium/thorium seed/blanket model tested in the Shipping port reactor could be adapted for current commercial LWRs?<BR/><BR/>I’ve also seen claims that CANDUs can achieve “near breeder” status with thorium, but I haven’t yet been able to track down any original references giving actual conversion ratios.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Finally, the World Nuclear Association website article on thorium suggested that there were some unresolved technical problems (besides U-232 and Th-228 contamination) with reprocessing spent thorium fuel to reclaim U-233. Is there something about thorium’s chemistry that makes it more difficult to reprocess than spent uranium fuel?<BR/><BR/>Thanks in advance. Your blog is a valuable educational resource on this topic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com