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Thorium Energy Alliance Conference
Jul 1, 2024
Thorium Energy Alliance Conference Lecture Notes
Overview
Focus on Thorium's potential vs. Uranium.
Critique of traditional nuclear energy conferences focusing on Uranium.
Why Thorium?
Unique Properties
Thorium offers unique and special characteristics over Uranium.
More abundant than Uranium-235.
Easier to mine; extracted as a by-product during mining for rare earth elements, gold, and copper.
Current thorium supply from such mining could power the entire planet.
Challenges and Opportunities
Energy Potential
A small amount of Thorium (size of a golf ball, costing under $100) can supply a person's lifetime energy needs.
Key issue: Developing efficient reactors to harness this potential energy.
Uranium Limitations
Uranium-235 is rare and requires enrichment.
Existing reactors are outdated and expensive to build & maintain.
Addressing Common Concerns About Nuclear Energy
Cost & Construction Time
Traditional nuclear energy is expensive and slow to deploy.
New approaches needed to reduce costs and speed up construction.
Safety Concerns
Misconceptions about nuclear danger; actual risks are lower compared to coal power.
Nuclear accidents like Fukushima and Chernobyl fatalities were largely due to human error in response.
Waste Management
Existing nuclear waste issues need new approaches for better management.
Possibility of using spent fuel more efficiently.
Copenhagen Atomics’ Approach
Reactor Design and Economics
50-year lifetime with thorium reactors; costs anticipated to be significantly lower.
Goal: Deploying reactors quickly and efficiently (1 reactor/day).
Modular reactors vs. traditional on-site builds.
The Onion Core
Highly efficient design reducing neutron loss to about 2%.
Uses thorium blanket to breed Uranium-233 efficiently.
Mass Production and Deployment
Plan to mass manufacture and deploy reactors cost-effectively.
Aim for fully automated, remote-controlled power plants.
Safety & Radiation
Proposes understanding radiation in a context similar to electrical voltage (manageable at low levels).
Development Plan and Goals
Milestones
Non-fission prototypes operational for testing.
Aiming for 1 MW test reactor by 2026, full use of thorium as fuel.
Mass manufacturing envisioned to start by early 2030s.
Ultimate goal to develop thorium breeder reactors by 2035.
Commercial Model
Plan for the commercial, not government-funded, deployment of reactors.
Focus on commodity industries like ammonia and aluminum production.
Long-term heat sales contracts to fund operations.
Waste Utilization
Future goal to use spent nuclear fuel in reactors.
Enhanced energy extraction efficiency from spent fuel.
Conclusion
Lower energy cost with thorium reactors compared to other energy sources.
Advocates for commercial, self-sufficient nuclear industry.
Promises a more manageable approach to nuclear waste management.
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Full transcript