⚡☢️ න්‍යෂ්ටික බලශක්ති උත්පාදනයේ අනාගතය තීරණය කරන 'තෝරියම්' (Thorium): "Thorium-based nuclear power" ⚡☢️

Stimulus mind

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  • Feb 27, 2021
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    Difference-Between-Uranium-and-Thorium-Comparison-Summary.png


    Thorium+vs.+Uranium+Abundance+Efficiency+Comparison+Thorium+Uranium.jpg
     
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    emoji diaries

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  • May 26, 2020
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    Homagama

    යක්ක පුත්තු තාම දන්නේ නැ හරියට. නැත්තම් මේ පුණ්‍ය භුමියෙත් තෝරියම් තියන නිසා තෝරියම් වලින් රට ගොඩදාන්න ප්ලැනක් ගහලා 🫠🫠
     

    imhotep

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  • Mar 29, 2017
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    Thorium is named after Thor, the god of thunder in Norse mythology. It is three to four times more abundant in nature than uranium but historically has found little use in industry or power generation. This is partly because thorium in itself is not a nuclear fuel, but it can be used to create one. Thorium-232, the only naturally occurring isotope of thorium, is a fissionable material but not a fissile one, meaning that it needs high-energy neutrons to undergo fission — the splitting of atomic nuclei which releases energy that is used for electricity generation. However, when irradiated, thorium-232 undergoes a series of nuclear reactions, eventually forming uranium-233, a fissile material that can be burned up as fuel in nuclear reactors.

    In the past several countries did research on Thorium reactors. India, Japan, Germany, the UK, the USA. France, Japan, Czech, Denmark, Norway, Canada etc and of course China. China had a joint agreement with the Canadians.

    Despite its abundance, the metal is currently expensive to extract. Thorium is very insoluble.

    A few examples of old Thorium Reactors....

    The 300 MWe Thorium High Temperature Reactor (THTR) at Hamm-Uentrop in Germany operated with thorium-HEU fuel between 1983 and 1989.

    The 40 MWe Peach Bottom HTR in the USA was a demonstration thorium-fuelled reactor that ran from 1967-74.

    The 330 MWe Fort St Vrain HTR in Colorado, USA, was a larger-scale commercial successor to the Peach Bottom reactor and ran from 1976-89.

    A unique thorium-fuelled light water breeder reactor operated from 1977 to 1982 at Shippingport in the USA.

    Indian heavy water reactors (PHWRs) have for a long time used thorium-bearing fuel bundles.

    NOTE: There are seven different types of Thorium reactors - Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactors (HTRs), Boiling (Light) Water Reactors (BWRs), Pressurized (Light) Water Reactors (PWRs), Fast Neutron Reactors (FNRs), and finally the still experimental Molten Salt Reactors (MSRs) & Accelerator Driven Reactors (ADRs).
     

    BINGU_PUTHA

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  • Apr 26, 2013
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    canada

    Thorium is promising but there are difficulties. According to co-pilot


    1.Thorium Is Not Fissile

    • Thorium-232 is fertile, not fissile. This means it cannot sustain a nuclear chain reaction on its own.
    • It must first absorb a neutron to become Uranium-233, which is fissile.
    • This requires a neutron source, typically from another fissile material like U-235 or Pu-239, complicating reactor design.

    ⚙️ 2. Reactor Design Complexity

    • Most thorium concepts involve molten salt reactors (MSRs) or high-temperature gas-cooled reactors, which are not yet commercially mature.
    • These reactors require:
      • Corrosion-resistant materials
      • Complex fuel reprocessing systems
      • Advanced safety mechanisms

    ☢️ 3. U-233 Handling Issues

    • U-233, the fissile product of thorium, is highly radioactive and often contaminated with U-232, which emits strong gamma radiation.
    • This makes fuel handling and reprocessing more hazardous and expensive.

    💰 4. Lack of Infrastructure and Investment

    • The global nuclear industry is heavily invested in uranium-based technology.
    • Thorium lacks:
      • A supply chain
      • Regulatory frameworks
      • Trained workforce
    • This makes it economically risky to develop thorium reactors at scale.

    🧪 5. Limited Operational Experience

    • Only a few thorium reactors have ever been built (e.g., the Shippingport reactor in the U.S. and India’s experimental reactors).
    • This means there's limited real-world data to guide development.
     

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