As the world community grapples with whether to pursue nuclear energy and at what pace, a "new" paradigm is getting thrown into the mix -- one that its advocates say is abundant in nature and which does not create the near the levels of radioactive waste that uranium does.
Attention is now on "thorium," which can be used to generate nuclear energy and which is now in favor among nuclear proponents who say that the threats of a "meltdown" scenario would be averted. Beyond the fact that such chain reactions cannot happen in thorium reactors, there is also no useful byproduct like plutonium to make nuclear weapons. China, for example, is close to demonstrating a modern thorium reactor, and it may have a full-scale commercial one going by 2020.
The United States, however, may have missed the turn -- back in the 1950s. That's when nuclear energy began to makes its entrance into power markets and it's also when the federal government made the fundamental decision to place its research and development funds into "uranium," which could also be used to make nuclear bombs. Remember, this is when the Cold War began. Thorium does not have that "attribute," which today would have made it the preferable choice.
"Yes, it produces less nuclear waste. Yes, it is more proliferation resistant. And, yes, it is more efficient and four times more abundant in the earth's crust than uranium," says Thomas Drolet, an expert in nuclear energy who has his own consulting firm in Englewood, Fla. "But it is obvious to me that the government has no time or money to spend pushing the thorium cycle."
To convert the existing nuclear infrastructure so that it could burn thorium -- as opposed to uranium -- would be not just wasteful but extremely costly, say many experts. Those corporate and financial entities in the existing supply chain -- uranium, fuel rods and reactor designs -- are rejecting such a massive overhaul.
Let's simplify the thorium research. Here, a molten salt reactor is run at such high temperatures that a solid salt is melted before it is used as a coolant. That makes it conducive to the thorium fuel cycle.
Practical Applications
None of this is theoretical, says John Kutsch, executive director of the Thorium Energy Alliance in Chicago: "China sees this as a reactor of the future. If there are 10 steps from concept to commercialization, China is at step 7. We could leapfrog them. It is not too late. We invented the thorium fuel cycle in the 1950s and have run several prototypes."
Beyond the established interests that have already invested huge sums in the current technologies, there are questions about the creation of huge piles of thorium -- something that would come with immense regulatory oversight and the associated expenses. As such, Kutsch is saying that the industry would be willing to manage a centralized "rare earth" refinery that would safeguard or find uses for the thorium that has been stockpiled.
His group would also like the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to write the rules and regulations for liquid reactors that use the thorium fuel cycles.
The 104 nuclear reactors now operating here are "second generation" light water facilities, all of which operate at more than 90 percent capacity. So-called "third generation" light water reactors have been built in Asia and are the type that Southern Company and Scana will construct.
The next-generation reactors, called "fourth generation," are those that run at very high temperatures. Such units result in higher thermal efficiency. They also have the potential for use in industrial applications and hydrogen production. The odds of any radioactive leaks are near zero.
Those are the kinds of reactors that can use thorium as a fuel. In fact, the U.S. Department of Energy is allocating now $200,000 to government researchers so that they can explore such a possibility. It's up against the more prevailing fuels like uranium. By 2021, the national laboratories will suggest a design.
"All fourth generation reactors make much less waste and run at higher temperatures," says Kutsch. "But the similarity ends there. Inherently, thorium is much more abundant and easier to handle."
The reality is that solid fuel reactors using uranium are now supplying 20 percent of this country's electric generation. Liquid fuel reactors that use thorium will not replace them. But the thorium technology still has place in the mix, as evidenced by the research occurring here, as well as in France, South Korea and Russia. China will get there first and if it succeeds, the science will be applied elsewhere.
Source: energybiz.com
