China set to begin first trials of molten salt nuclear reactor using thorium instead of uranium

[mellowyellow]

The molten salt thorium reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee was shut down in 1969. (Wikimedia Commons: ORN)


Scientists in China are about to turn on for the first time an experimental reactor that's believed by some to be the Holy Grail of nuclear energy — safer, cheaper and with less potential for weaponisation. The US abandoned thorium in favour of uranium as a fuel source in the early 1970s. Construction on the thorium-based molten salt reactor was expected to be finished this month with the first tests to begin as early as September, according to a statement from the Gansu provincial government.

Molten salt plants don't use water for cooling like traditional nuclear power plants and so can be built in desert areas, the paper says, such as China's sparsely populated western regions…………………

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-28/china-thorium-molten-salt-nuclear-reactor-energy/100351932

 

[Nathan]

I hope interest in molten salt cooled reactors gains momentum, particularly here. It will likely be " a while" before fusion technology is ready. Meanwhile energy demand continues to rise, alternative energy sources aren't keeping up, more and more traditional nuclear plants are being retired.

 

[Don M.]

IMO, the best ways to produce power would be Nuclear Fusion for electric power, and Hydrogen to power vehicles. Some day, in the not too distant future, fossil fuels will become increasingly scarce and expensive, while wind and solar will not be able to keep up with demand. If Fusion and Hydrogen could be perfected, power could become virtually unlimited...with minimal impact to the environment.