Naked Science Forum

Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: set fair on 17/01/2022 02:11:21

Title: What's the lowdown on thorium reactors?
Post by: set fair on 17/01/2022 02:11:21

I read an article on them. It said they were a lot safer than the reactors we currently use and had been shunned in the past because they didn't yield weapons grade material. I presume that there's much more too it than that.

Title: Re: What's the lowdown on thorium reactors?
Post by: evan_au on 17/01/2022 09:12:16

There is no doubt that the countries pursuing nuclear power in the decades after WW2 were also pursuing nuclear weapons.
- Uranium reactor technology was dual-use: commercial + military
- France tried to produce a fast breeder reactor (also dual-use), but it was too much trouble
- It is logical that these countries would not have been impressed with a thorium commercial-only reactor
- The Gates Foundation invested a lot of money in Thorium reactors to be built in China. But the souring of military relations between USA & China put a hold on that potential commercial relationship

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium-based_nuclear_power