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  • We've been relying on the fossil fuels for a long time now and it seems that most of the world's problem - economical & health-related seems to be a direct or indirect consequence of our over-dependence on them. We've had discussions on this forum about possible uses of Geo-thermal energy and now there's a video that's making rounds: #-Link-Snipped-# which talks about how Thorium can power world's power. Well, the current technology can allow us to create power from Thorium without creating pollution and radio-active wastes. I think everyone knows this.

    I'm wondering about the technical difficulties which are hindering the adoption of Thorium for production of energy. Can anyone shed some light?
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  • ISHAN TOPRE

    Member • Nov 11, 2011

    I guess this article can aid here 😀 . #-Link-Snipped-#
    Government is talking about thorium since long however, I guess we have huge amount of Thorium present in our mines, but policy to recover it is being planned since last 20 years.

    Anyways, yes, I do believe that it can be a sustainable source with some drawbacks.
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  • KenJackson

    Member • Nov 25, 2011

    Back when I was in US Navy Nuclear Power School, I noticed that thorium had characteristics that could allow it to be used as a fuel for a fission reactor. But not a word was ever mentioned in that school about thorium. I thought it odd. I searched a little and found that it was reasonably plentiful on earth. So why no interest in thorium?

    That puzzled me for decades until recently I read (it seems obvious now) that the nuclear power industry was based on research conducted for the nuclear weapons industry. And (I didn't know but could guess) thorium doesn't make a good bomb. That's why there's historically been no interest in thorium reactors.

    But one of the chief objections to uranium and plutonium is that they can be made into bombs. So an industry that makes nuclear power reactors out of them would have to be super secure to make darn sure no hate-filled evil doers got hold of the fuel. You can hide a bomb's worth of plutonium in a lunch pail or briefcase, so security would be difficult.

    But hey! If thorium doesn't work for a bomb, but does work for a reactor, then it's a perfect fuel to take away a major objection to nuclear power.

    Now if we could ever convince the media to say the word <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moderator_%28Nuclear_Reactor%29" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Moderator %28Nuclear Reactor%29</a>, we could start convincing the world that we need not fear Chernobyl-type nuclear accidents.
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Mar 18, 2012

    KenJackson
    Now if we could ever convince the media to say the word <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moderator_%28Nuclear_Reactor%29" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Moderator %28Nuclear Reactor%29</a>, we could start convincing the world that we need not fear Chernobyl-type nuclear accidents.
    I came across this extremely exciting concept: Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR).
    #-Link-Snipped-#

    If all that is claimed is true, then cold fusion (or its close cousin) has been proved on a commercial scale.
    Good old Hydrogen is fused with Nickel to produce Copper and nearly 7 Million times the energy of Hydrogen burning in Oxygen.

    Weight for weight it produces 200,000 times more energy than oil.
    As if that is not enough, there is no residual radio activity. There is a small Gamma ray emission easily stopped by a small lead shield. No carbon foot print. No Chernobyl.
    Seems too good to be true. Yet, commercial exploitation is apparently round the corner at USD 800!
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  • ISHAN TOPRE

    Member • Mar 18, 2012

    KenJackson
    Now if we could ever convince the media to say the word <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moderator_%28Nuclear_Reactor%29" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Moderator %28Nuclear Reactor%29</a>, we could start convincing the world that we need not fear Chernobyl-type nuclear accidents.
    Germany is infact thinking of giving up Nuclear energy. It was in news sometime back.

    bioramani
    Seems too good to be true. Yet, commercial exploitation is apparently round the corner at USD 800!
    #-Link-Snipped-# Really, it requires a thought.
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  • KenJackson

    Member • Mar 18, 2012

    Excellent! But they really ought to ditch the phrase "cold fusion". It will be forever tied to the scam that made it famous. But Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) sounds like a cool term that could be acceptable.

    I was concerned about the number of neutrons, but I see that isotope 64 of both Ni and Cu is stable. I wonder if that's the one they use.
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Mar 18, 2012

    KenJackson
    Excellent! But they really ought to ditch the phrase "cold fusion". It will be forever tied to the scam that made it famous. But Low Energy Nuclear Reaction (LENR) sounds like a cool term that could be acceptable.

    I was concerned about the number of neutrons, but I see that isotope 64 of both Ni and Cu is stable. I wonder if that's the one they use.
    That is what is claimed. The economic implications are enormous if the smallest version is going to be sold at US$ 800.
    I agree re:Cold Fusion. Virtually became a dirty word in physics. I am continuing my checks with my fellow scientists in the nuclear speciality to see if there are any faults in the theory. There appears to be a prima facie case for the ECAT technology.
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  • prashpan

    Member • Mar 18, 2012

    Apparently India has world's 25% of Thorium Reserves and is considered a global leader in thorium based fuel. Thorium would meet projected global power generation needs for well over 1000 years. Although we do require more efficient ways to mine it.
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • May 30, 2012

    Thorium still in the ring:
    #-Link-Snipped-#
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  • KenJackson

    Member • May 31, 2012

    I'm glad I kept reading. At first I thought that article was just a silly comic thing. But it has some meat.

    This subject isn't at the top of my list, but it is interesting. So I hope I get a chance to read #-Link-Snipped-# by Richard Martin.

    #-Link-Snipped-#​
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  • KenJackson

    Member • Aug 25, 2012

    I just signed an #-Link-Snipped-# at whitehouse.gov titled "Allow a Federally Chartered Corporation to accept THORIUM and to develop uses and markets for THORIUM including ENERGY."

    I can't imagine it will amount to anything, but it's something.
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Oct 10, 2012

    An update.
    Unlimited fusion power may be round the corner. Keep fingers crossed.
    <a href="https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/137520-clean-limitless-fusion-power-could-arrive-sooner-than-expected?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ziffdavis%2Fextremetech+%28Extremetech%29" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Clean, limitless fusion power could arrive sooner than expected | ExtremeTech</a>
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Jan 8, 2013

    China is forging ahead on Thorium energy. Many others are in the race.
    An update: <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/business/safe-nuclear-power-not-a-pipedream-20130107-2ccqh.html" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Safe nuclear power not a pipedream</a>
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  • Jeffrey Arulraj

    Member • Jan 9, 2013

    But where is India in this race The world's leading producer of thorium is still lagging in this race will Indians realize this at least after 10 years
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Jan 9, 2013

    Conqueror
    But where is India in this race The world's leading producer of thorium is still lagging in this race will Indians realize this at least after 10 years
    You are right. Where in the name of heaven are we?
    Covering up for rape cases, giving free smart phones to BPL people and bashing each other on the poll arena. That is what we are busy with in India.
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  • lal

    Member • Jan 9, 2013

    Probably the Indian authorities are waiting for an opportunity to auction licenses for private companies to generate and sell nuclear power 😁
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  • vamsi kancharla

    Member • Jan 10, 2013

    so thorium is a is able to give clean energy the scientists are conducting experiments to use thorium as a fuel in india thorium reserves are more but some changes are to be made to use thorium as a fuel
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  • Jeffrey Arulraj

    Member • Jan 10, 2013

    Though the changes are required the cost of making this change is well below the cost of procuring Thorium reserves from other countries
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  • Ramani Aswath

    Member • Aug 6, 2013

    There seems to be some interesting developments in cleaning up the dirty coal technology capturing almost all of the carbon dioxide.

    #-Link-Snipped-#
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