So why arent' we doing this?

[Solus]

WOW!!  Never heard of this alternative.

It does seem to have answers to a LOT of problems we face today.

The only question I have from the information the video presented is how long the world supply will last for our projected energy needs.

Not that it isn't a much better alternative to current sources (from what we know).  He did say all the worlds energy could be created by a supply of thorium mined at just one location in the US.  He didn't say how long it could do that...or haw many other sites would be available to do that.  It sounded like it was pretty infinite...but there must be a limit.  If only 200 years, it's a good deal.

All the investment in current nuclear reactors will be lost (not a bad thing unless you are an investor), but is sure sounds like the thorium replacements will go in quicker and much safer.

The fact that thorium is so plentiful on the Moon, compared to the total lack of anything else needed to support human life, and that it can be used to provide all those missing resources to make a colony on the Moon self sufficient has tremendous impact for me...greater than meeting the energy needs here on Earth.

If only the NRC will "approve" it before the rifle wielding young lady's kids are above the age of consent....

[tombogan03884]

One thing he did not address was how is this supposed to generate electricity with out , as he put it, "large steam generators".
All fuel based electrical sources work by turning heat energy into mechanical energy.
So how is this any better than a wood powered facility for earth use ?

[Solus]

I did find an article at the website that had a diagram comparing the energy production of both reactors.

The Uranium reactor used a steam turbine while the Thorium reactor used a liquid helium turbine.

I didn't hunt down an explanation of why the difference but from what I have read I would guess it has to do with the need to use a large amount of water to cool the uranium reactor and it then being available to run the turbine.

You can find the report here and the diagram pretty far down.

http://energyfromthorium.com/essay3rs/

[Timothy]

Technically, the steam turbine is the mechanical force to drive the generator.  They're two separate components.

[twyacht]

Thorium Energy Kits Available Christmas 2015,....Guess what will be marked at the bottom?



Made In China.....

Great concept. 'm sure the thinktanks that began this process in the 50's have solved the turbine generator to create electricity.

Not specifically covered in the video, but really kinda cool.

Where's my flux-capacitor that runs on garbage?



 

[Sponsor]

[Timothy]

Some of you may already be aware that thorium was used in Coleman lantern mantles for nearly 100 years!  They've since stopped using the material due to it's radioactive decay.  It takes a great big pile of it to be dangerous but it's toxic none the less!  Thorium is (was) also used in the filament on highway light bulbs.

I personally had the job of dismantling, decontaminating and decommissioning two, one-off knitting machines in the Coleman Plant in Wichita back in the 90's.  The only two in existence that were built in the late 1800's.  The had us meticulously catalog everything we could get clean (no longer contaminated) and saved so the could re-assembly them for their museum.

The folks that worked there would stand and watch while we were in full protective clothing doing the decon work.   Everyone there had been breathing in that thorium for twenty or thirty years.  Most never saw the age of 55 or 60 and had no clue that they had been over exposed.