[SCI-TALK] Thorium Reactors

[odah]

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK367T7h6ZY[/ame]

This here is a video explains LFTRs (Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor). In short, Th is 200x more efficient, safe, and stable than Uranium. 5000 Tonnes (Kg Tons) can power the globe for one year and can be found in one mine out of hundreds. ,

As all good as that energy sounds and the new nuclear age can be... one question was constantly in my mind.
Warfare.
Sure, 300 years of clean, easy to produce energy is good, but for what trade-off if the world will end in 20 due to terrorism?

I ran a few calculations and looked at some numbers really quick after the video. Be advised, i'm not an AP chemistry student, i didn't account for atom stability, i didn't account for electron and molecular behavior, or temperature.

But here are my numbers:

Th = 200 EFF / U
Atom bomb (WWII "The Little Boy" Hiroshima) = 64 Kg U
"5000 Tonnes Th can power the globe for one year and can be found in one mine out of many"
5000 Tonnes Th = 5 Million Kg Th
200 EFF / 64 Kg U (Atom Bomb) = 3.125 Kg Th (one Thorium bomb)
5M Kg Th / 3.125 Kg Th = 1.6 Million Th Bombs.

Th = Thorium
U = Uranium
200 EFF = Efficiency relative to the density of Thorium in perspective to Uranium
Tonnes = Metric Tons (1000 Kg = 1 Tonne [NOT SHORT TON])

1.6 Million Th Bombs = December 21, 2012

 

[Raul Tha Monk]

Hmm I never put too much thought on steam power as for energy from what
i saw from the video its alot of hard work and things to keep a eye on

 

[odah]

Hmm I never put too much thought on steam power as for energy from what
i saw from the video its alot of hard work and things to keep a eye on

Much much less things to watch and work for with an LFTR. A great post summarizing the items: http://liquidfluoridethoriumreactor.glerner.com/

Another great post stating the problems of Uranium reactors: http://www.physics.isu.edu/radinf/np-risk.htm