[TheForge] Power in its diverse manifestations. OT Thorium

[Andrew Vida]

Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors (LFTR) should have and could have been 
online 42 years ago.  The concept was proven in the 60s at Oak Ridge 
where the prototype ran for 4 years and was promptly shelved when the 
shit-for-brains DoD learned it would produce no weapons-grade materials.

That we have commercialized breeders to produce weapons-grade fissile 
material is a good indication of how hopelessly stupid and insanely 
corrupt some people are.

One of the great thing about LFTRs is they will burn any and all nuclear 
wastes.  Burning uranium is idiotic, given its rarity.  Thorium is 
everywhere, it cannot be made into a thermonuclear weapon, it is 
inherently safe because the reaction is self limiting.

The ultimate waste product is Plutonium 238, which cannot be used to 
make bombs.  It is, however, the perfect power source for space probes 
and as it turns out, we are just about out of it.

All that high level waste from death holes like Hanford, Savannah River, 
Rocky Flats, etc. could be burned SAFELY down into Pu238 - we have tens 
of thousands of years worth of nearly limitless energy reserves in all 
of that poison.

Speaking of safety, LFTRs operate at atmospheric pressure, obviating the 
need for a containment structure.  The reactors run a high temperature 
molten salt core that is plugged with solid salt that is kept congealed 
by a jet of cold air.  If the facility loses power, the air blast is 
halted, the plug melts, and the molten core drains into a separate tank 
and the reaction stops.

There is more to it, but I would have to go back to my notes and am too 
lazy.

LFTRs appear to hold few disadvantages.  About 1/3 pound of thorium 
contains all the energy the average person will use in his entire life 
time including powering motor vehicles.

Is the video by Kirk Sorensen?  If not, look him up.  He gives a good 
presentation.

On 1/10/2013 10:41 AM, CGRAF wrote:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uK367T7h6ZY
>
> This was sent tome by my son.
>
> It sounds too good,but then again so did fossil fuels,when the wood and
> whale oil started to run out, same for electric power distribution at
> one time.
>
> I do not have the nads for parsing this one. My guess is that someone
> here does.
>
> Mike Graf
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