Myths about Thorium nuclear fuel

Thorium nuclear lobby pretends thorium is not part of the toxic nuclear fuel chain
5/17/2014

http://goo.gl/zMgGZB

Thorium: the wonder fuel that wasn't
Robert Alvarez
5/11/2014
http://goo.gl/e5l0Ak

This Is The Most Radioactive Place In New York City (VIDEO)
5/09/2014
http://goo.gl/sGIhsV
Primo's Flat Flix, near the corner of Cooper and Irving Avenues, sits on the former location of the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company. In the 1940s and '50s, Wolff-Alport extracted rare earth metals from monazite sand. Monazite sand contains thorium, which is radioactive.
For seven years, the company buried radioactive thorium in the soil or dumped it into nearby sewers. In 1947, the Atomic Energy Commission started to regularly buy thorium from the Queens company. Thorium was used in nuclear weapons tested in Nevada in 1955.

Exposing the thorium myth
Jan Beránek
26th March 2014
http://goo.gl/6aOtdC
Nuclear enthusiasts have been singing the praises of nuclear reactors that use thorium as their fuel instead of uranium. Jan Beránek analyses the claims - and finds that thorium is a mere distraction on the way to our renewable future.

Myths about Thorium nuclear fuel
By Nick Touran, Ph.D. (in Nuclear Engineering), 
March 2014
http://goo.gl/g1G6Nx

Thorium Nuclear Power

Thorium Power Books 

No Thorium
http://www.facebook.com/nothorium


Liquid fluoride thorium reactor Wiki
http://q.gs/3IOuQ

Molten salt reactor Wiki
http://q.gs/3IOub

Ten Myths About Thorium As A Nuclear Energy Solution
http://goo.gl/9uZXpa

Dr. Caldicott MD; Radioactive Thorium Dangers, Half Life, Health Hazards
12/12/2012
http://q.gs/30mui


Proliferation Warnings On Nuclear 'Wonder-Fuel', Thorium
Dec. 5, 2012 
http://q.gs/39x6b

Is the "Superfuel" Thorium Riskier Than We Thought?
A new study in Nature says that using thorium as a nuclear fuel has a higher risk for proliferation into
12/05/2012
http://goo.gl/XTIKdL

Thorium Reactors?
12/2012
The latest nuclear power industry proposals focus on smaller reactors and the possibility of thorium fueled reactors. As the nuclear industry explores other fission products, Fairewinds Energy Education has been peppered with hundreds of questions regarding the feasibility and safety of thorium reactors that the nuclear industry is touting as a newer safer form of nuclear power.
http://q.gs/2p0Kc
http://www.facebook.com/nukefree/posts/398406840240895


Thorium nuclear reactors NOT clean, NOT safe, NOT cheap
nuclear weapons are involved at the very BEGINNING of thorium reactors,  because you cannot get the thorium reactor started without mixing the thorium  with some weapons-explosive material — either plutonium or highly enriched uranium.
11/04/2012
http://q.gs/37aUM


Why Thorium Nuclear Isn’t Featured on CleanTechnica
September 11, 2012 Zachary Shahan
http://q.gs/38krR

Thorium: Not Green, Not Viable and Not Likely, Oliver Tickell
June 2012
http://q.gs/37aQc

Safe nuclear: Let the thorium debate begin
By Mark Halper | May 11, 2012
http://q.gs/2WfGH

Is Thorium A Magic Bullet For Our Energy Problems?
5/04/2012
http://q.gs/2WfHK

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Safe nuclear: UK eyes thorium
By Mark Halper | May 18, 2012
http://q.gs/2WfIM

Safe nuclear: India’s thorium reactor
By Mark Halper | May 8, 2012
http://goo.gl/nPE3G3

Nuclear Energy Accidents May Become Thing of Past
4/18/2012
Ken Silverstein, Contributor
http://goo.gl/rvUNE9

Nuclear safety and security demand thorium
By John Sales April 3, 2012
http://www.timesargus.com/article/20120403/OPINION04/704039949

Can using thorium instead of uranium make nuclear energy safer?
By E - The Environmental Magazine
Nov. 26, 2011 
http://goo.gl/skurff

Can Thorium Generate Safe and Cheap Nuclear Power?
Can uranium be replaced in the nuclear industry?
DEREK MEAD: NOVEMBER 14, 2011
http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Can-Thorium-Generate-Safer-Nuclear-Power/

India plans 'safer' nuclear plant powered by thorium
Use of relatively low-carbon, low-radioactivity thorium instead of uranium may be breakthrough in energy generation
1 November 2011
http://goo.gl/xFj02p

Thorium, Not The Nuclear Savior Claimed
September 14th, 2011 
http://houseoffoust.com/group/?p=3101

Don't believe the spin on thorium being a greener nuclear option
Ecologist: It produces less radioactive waste and more power but it remains unproven on a commercial scale
6/23/2011
http://goo.gl/PpTn2d

Could thorium make nuclear power safe?
3/28/2011
http://news.yahoo.com/s/theweek/20110328/cm_theweek/213611

Could thorium make nuclear power safe?
The world can have cheap nuclear power without Japan-level risks by swapping thorium for uranium, some scientists claim. Is that too good to be true?
3/28/2011
http://theweek.com/article/index/213611/could-thorium-make-nuclear-power-safe

Safe nuclear does exist, and China is leading the way with thorium
3/20/2011
http://q.gs/2WfKQ

Energy From Thorium: A Nuclear Waste Burning Liquid Salt Thorium Reactor
Jul 23, 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZR0UKxNPh8

Thorium is not an environmentally safe alternative type of nuclear energy, Norwegian report says
10/20/2008
http://q.gs/4v3PA

Energy From Thorium Discussion Forum
http://q.gs/2Wgx0

A nuclear alternative - Thorium

A nuclear alternative
11 Dec, 2011 
CanberraTimes


Thorium Nuclear Power
http://nuke6.blogspot.com/2011/10/thorium-nuclear-power.html

In the wake of Fukushima, advocates of thorium reactors claim their time has come, says MICHAEL INMAN
NUCLEAR power. The mere mention of it evokes an emotion. But match the phrase with names such as Fukushima or Chernobyl and impassioned division will follow.

Since the disaster in Fukushima earlier this year, many countries are reassessing their nuclear programs.

In Germany, the government committed to shut 17 nuclear power plants by 2022.

Domestically, a renewed push to sell uranium to India is the subject of intense debate.

Passionate opponents of nuclear power claim the process is unsafe, produces toxic waste and is linked to the spread of weapons of mass destruction.

Meanwhile, supporters claim low emissions and new technology make nuclear's baseload energy capabilities the best option in the fight against climate change.

But what if there was a material capable of providing relatively safe and cheap nuclear power, without the risk of increasing nuclear weapons or toxic waste?

That's what a small but candid group of thorium advocates have been trying to tell the world in recent months.

But what is thorium?

Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element that can be used to fuel a nuclear reactor.

It is estimated to be about three to five times more abundant than the current nuclear fuel of choice, uranium.

India, China, Japan, US and Russia are all undertaking investments in thorium fuel cycle technology, with intensified interest since Fukushima.

Thorium champions claim the world can have safe, baseload nuclear power by swapping the radioactive metal for uranium.

Supporters claim thorium technology is a lower risk than uranium reactors, produces considerably less waste and does not have the capacity to produce weapons.

And Australia, with an abundant supply of the metal, is well-placed to cash in on a future thorium rush.

Australia is believed to have the largest deposits of thorium in the world.

Geoscience Australia estimates Australia has about 474,000 tonnes - about 20percent - of the world's thorium resources.

Geoscience Australia commodity specialist Yanis Miezitis says the largest deposits are found in Western Australia, Northern Territory and Victoria.

Despite the easily accessed thorium resource, there are no large-scale commercial mining operations exploiting thorium.

Miezitis says this is because there is no large-scale commercial demand for thorium because there are no commercial-scale, thorium-fuelled nuclear reactors in the world.

However, that might all be about to change.

India looks likely to commence building a 300 megawatt advanced heavy-water technical demonstration reactor within the next 18 months.

An Australian and Czech Republic consortium last month unveiled plans for the development of a thorium-fuelled molten salt reactor, to be based in Prague, from next year.

Consortium spokesman Phil Joyce says preparatory work on the functioning prototype will be finalised early next year, with development to cost about $300 million.

Joyce says the consortium is pursuing thorium, rather than uranium, because it's less risky and produces less waste.

''Thorium is a non-fission material which means that it can't experience meltdown,'' he says.

''It took the Fukushima disaster to raise awareness and create an understanding of the urgency which exists in finding a safe alternative for base-load power.

''The time for planning and building thorium fuelled base-load energy plants has come and we are looking forward to developing the first working model that will be connected to the grid.''

Joyce says advances in reactor technology demonstrate that thorium-fuelled reactors are much safer than uranium and do not produce waste that can be used in weapons. He claims thorium is also efficient in its energy production, with one metric tonne of thorium creating the same amount of energy as 200 metric tonnes of uranium or 3.5 million metric tonnes of coal.

''Several European countries are moving to de-commission their nuclear powered generators, and the world is looking for more sustainable and safer, cleaner energy options. Investments in renewable technologies can only go so far in meeting the world's energy needs.

''We believe that attention should be shifted to thorium to replace the world's reliance on uranium and coal,'' he said.

But is thorium really the magic bullet that makes nuclear power palatable to the world?

Australian National University nuclear physicist Professor George Dracoulis says no.

Dracoulis admits thorium possesses many advantages over uranium, but also has inherent problems.

''People present thorium as if it's something magic. It's not, but it does have advantages.

''One advantage is that it doesn't produce as much long-life waste, although it actually produces more radioactive waste.

''A second advantage, which is only one of perception, is that thorium doesn't produce plutonium, a weapons material.

''So the argument is, you can't use [thorium] to make weapons but that's not true, it's more difficult but it can be used to make weapons.''

Dracoulis says a large problem with thorium is that it is not a fissile material, meaning it must be processed before the nuclear reaction takes place.

This is a more elaborate process, requiring specialist reactors.

Safety is also a key point pushed by thorium fans, but Dracoulis says this is also partially true.

''It doesn't have the potential to cause a Fukushima-type disaster, but that's because of the reactor, not because of the thorium.

''It's not the material that's safer, it's the way it's processed.''

With some estimates that the world's electricity demand will double by 2030, thorium could still play a role in future energy production.

But this may be in the longer term, according to RMIT nuclear expert Jiyuan Tu.

With energy demands skyrocketing in the short term, Tu says current nuclear stations need to begin developing new reactors, such as those fuelled by thorium.

The development of more sophisticated reactors calls upon radical new designs, moving away from the outdated generation II reactors, such as those at Fukushima.

The new reactors replace water with graphite, helium, sodium and lead to moderate and cool the core.

As a result, generation IV reactors will be more efficient, safer and produce less waste.

Still in the design phase, generation IV reactors are decades from becoming commercially available.

In the short term, Tu says current generation II and III reactors are being upgraded for safety.

With the nuclear industry in a massive state of flux, Tu says it is hard to predict where thorium will sit in the new order.

Chinese scientists urged to develop new thorium nuclear reactors by 2024

Chinese scientists urged to develop new thorium nuclear reactors by 2024
3/18/2014
SCMP

Beijing wants to cut its reliance on coal-fired power.

The deadline to develop a new design of nuclear power plant has been brought forward by 15 years as the central government tries to reduce the nation's reliance on smog-producing coal-fired power stations.

A team of scientists in Shanghai had originally been given 25 years to try to develop the world's first nuclear plant using the radioactive element thorium as fuel rather than uranium, but they have now been told they have 10, the researchers said.

"In the past the government was interested in nuclear power because of the energy shortage. Now they are more interested because of smog," said Professor Li Zhong, a scientist working on the project.

Premier Li Keqiang told the national legislature in Beijing on March 5 that the government had declared "war on pollution", and measures to tackle the problem included closing coal-fired power stations. About 70 per cent of China's electricity was produced by coal-fired plants last year, according to government figures. Nuclear power stations generated just over 1 per cent.

The Chinese Academy of Sciences set up an advanced research centre in Shanghai in January with the aim of developing the world's first industrial reactor using thorium molten-salt technology, according to a statement from the academy's Bureau of Major Research and Development Programmes.

All commercial nuclear plants in China, whether in operation or under construction, are designed to use uranium as fuel, but the country has run short of uranium and depends on imports from other countries.

The technology under development in Shanghai involves burning the radioactive element thorium in a salty "soup" to, in theory, release heat many times greater than today's reactors.

Other potential advantages of the technology are that China has large thorium reserves, at least the world's third-largest, according to some experts. The process may also produce less radioactive waste.

Professor Li, director of the project's molten salt chemistry and engineering technology division, said the smog crisis had provided huge impetus for their research.

"The problem of coal has become clear. If the average energy consumption per person doubles, this country will be choked to death by polluted air," he said. "Nuclear power provides the only solution for massive coal replacement and thorium carries much hope."

Researchers working on the project said they were under unprecedented "war-like" pressure to succeed and some of the technical challenges they faced were difficult, if not impossible to solve in such a short period.

They would also probably face opposition from sections of the Chinese public after the nuclear disaster at Fukushima in Japan and also from some senior officials with interests in the coal industry who were unlikely to give their backing to a new form of nuclear energy, they said.

One of the technical difficulties is that the molten salt produces highly corrosive chemicals such as fluoride that could damage the reactor.

The power plant would also have to operate at extremely high temperatures, raising concerns about safety. In addition, researchers have limited knowledge of how to use thorium.

"We are still in the dark about the physical and chemical nature of thorium in many ways," said Li. "There are so many problems to deal with but so little time."

Western countries such as the United States have experimented with thorium reactors but gave up on the technology because of the engineering difficulties.

Analysts have also suggested the US lost interest in thorium as a fuel for reactors because uranium was a more suitable material to produce nuclear weapons.

Interest, however, has been revived in recent years and research projects have been established in several countries, including the United States, France and Japan.

"This is definitely a race," said Li. China "faces fierce competition from overseas and to get there first will not be an easy task", he said.

The thorium reactor is not the only technology China is researching in an attempt to upgrade its nuclear power programme.

These projects are beautiful to scientists, but nightmarish to engineers PROFESSOR GU ZHONGMAO

The Hefei Institute of Physical Science in Anhui province finished construction last month of the world's largest experimental platform for an accelerator reactor that burns nuclear fuel with a powerful "particle gun".

An experimental fast reactor is also operating in Beijing, and construction has started of a demonstration plant for a very-high-temperature reactor at Shidao Bay in Shandong province.

Professor Gu Zhongmao, an official at the China Institute of Atomic Energy, said so-called fourth-generation reactors were troubled by technological uncertainties, and to solve the smog issue the central government should approve and start construction of new nuclear power plants using existing technology as soon as possible.

The thorium reactors would need years, if not decades, to overcome the corrosion issue and the stability of accelerator-driven plants was also in doubt, he said.

"These projects are beautiful to scientists, but nightmarish to engineers," he said.

Smog would be reduced noticeably if nuclear power produced 5 to 10 per cent of the nation's electricity, according to Gu. China has about 20 nuclear reactors and is building nearly 30 more.

Its use of nuclear power is tiny compared with countries such as France, which produces about 75 per cent of its electricity from nuclear power plants.

After the Fukushima nuclear disaster three years ago, the central government withheld approval for new nuclear plants.

Part of the resistance came from the public, as many people were worried that nuclear plants would cause more serious contamination than the pollution created by coal-fired stations, Gu said.

Government agencies such as the Ministry of Water Resources also opposed the construction of nuclear plants in land-locked areas over concerns that radioactive waste would worsen river pollution.

"To completely get rid of smog, nuclear power is the only option," according to Gu.

"If we build as many nuclear power stations as there are in France and Japan, we will also enjoy blue skies and clean air like they do."

Thorium is not an environmentally safe alternative type of nuclear energy

THORium: a Better Nuke? Molten Salt fuel?
http://youtu.be/-GEUzF_Bop8

Danger of Thorium
15 October 2013
http://goo.gl/v2neib

What is the Great Thorium illegal mining Scam of India ?
15 October 2013 
http://goo.gl/PoszPC

SCANDAL!! Norways NGO Bellona uncovers secret nuclear deals at the experimental thorium reactor complex in Norway
9/11/2013
http://goo.gl/H3ZS5R