Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Everything must start with a vision


Everything must start with a vision

Everything must start with a vision.  Kirk Sorensen began to talk about the Thorium vision in 2006, and he documented the scientific story of what ORNL had discovered between 1950 and 1975.
I already knew something about the story, because my father had played an important role in its scientific origins.

I was the 33rd member of the energy from Thorium discussion group, the only open discussion group devoted to nuclear power in 2007, At that time Molten salt nuclear technology was virtually unknown, even in the small nuclear community. We started out as a grass roots effort, and look at how much we have accomplished in the last 8 years. Not too long ago, thorium was even discussed in The House of Lords. In 8 more years the movement may have MSRs nearing sales in North America, while in China a Thorium Molten Salt Breeder may be nearing completion.

During 2008 I analyzed the implications of what I began to see as the Molten Salt and Thorium revolution. I understood that Molten salt Reactors could be operated with a Uranium Cycle, and that the uranium fuel cycle MSRs required less development before they could reached the market, and  some time later concluded that the low cost development manufacturing potential of uranium fueled MSR, should make them the kickoff stage of a revolution in energy technology.  The Thorium Molten Salt Breeder Reactor (the LFTR) would be more complex, and would require more time and money than the UMSR to develop.  But this thorium stage would potentially offer huge benefits.  It would potentially be capable of generating most of the would's energy for millions of years, and do so at a low cost.  In 2008, I posted this essay on Daily Kos:
http://nucleargreen.blogspot.com/2014/07/everything-must-start-with-vision.html

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