Pocket Particle Accelerators

[cecilia]

"A wee particle accelerator in the English countryside could be a harbinger of a safer, cleaner future of energy. "

I just had to post this because the words "wee particle accelerator" crack me up.

 

[the_leander]

Sounds promising, especially the part about the abundance of this material.

Will be interesting to see the reaction of those traditionally opposed to nuclear power.

 

[cybereye]

Nuclear power based on thorium is better than Nuclear power based on uranium, but both created toxic waste. After a few hundred years the waste from a thorium reactor can be less toxic than uranium reactor which last 10,000 years more. I would go Nuclear power base on fusion. In theory, The waste will be Helium. They still trying to get the reaction to work. Since the designs aren't finalized another word is still in the lab. It never been built to a test on a prototype.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

@cecilia

My first thought was "good grief, how fast do people want their pocket particles to go?"

@the_leander

Want to see something really cool with respect to thorium reactors google LFTR ("lifter") reactors. Thorium is a very interesting and potentially enormous energy source. It does have some massive down sides though.

1. The technology is absolutely useless for manufacturing material for weapons.
2. The technology is so different from current technologies that it doesn't fit the regulations.
3. The massive investment in current technology means that none of the big players are interested in new regulations.
4. There is no money to be made in reprocessing for LFTRs and reprocessing is where all the money is made today.

Still, India is looking at solid thorium fuel cycle reactors and China (it is rumoured) are looking at LFTRs. Thorium is a waste product at the moment since it is a left over from rare earth extraction and China is the world's number one producer of rare earths.

 

[FluffyMcDeath]

It never been built to a test on a prototype.

LFTRs where built and run in the 60s.

 

[cybereye]

LFTRs where built and run in the 60s.

I was talking about base on fusion power that never built for a prototype. I do agree with your view as well about the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor.

 

[the_leander]

1. The technology is absolutely useless for manufacturing material for weapons.

Still not seeing a downside for this

2. The technology is so different from current technologies that it doesn't fit the regulations.

Because regulations cannot be created to deal with new issues, hence why there are none on current nuclear reactors, right?

3. The massive investment in current technology means that none of the big players are interested in new regulations.

If it becomes viable, watch that change.

4. There is no money to be made in reprocessing for LFTRs and reprocessing is where all the money is made today.

If we can create a wholly artificial meta economy based on carbon emissions trading, we could do the same with thorium waste.

Still, India is looking at solid thorium fuel cycle reactors and China (it is rumoured) are looking at LFTRs. Thorium is a waste product at the moment since it is a left over from rare earth extraction and China is the world's number one producer of rare earths.

Nice!