High Efficiency Nuclear Power Plants Using Liquid Fluoride Thorium
Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors. Overview Introduction to nuclear reactors Fundamentals of LFTR...
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Transcript of Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors. Overview Introduction to nuclear reactors Fundamentals of LFTR...
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Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors
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OverviewOverview• Introduction to nuclear reactors• Fundamentals of LFTR (Liquid Fluoride
Thorium Reactors)• Economic viability• LFTR safety• Environmental impact• Challenges• Conclusion• Recommendations
http://www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/downloads/American_Scientist_Hargraves.pdf
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Traditional Nuclear Reactors• Traditional nuclear reactors use fuel rods
made up of enriched Uranium oxide.• Energy is generated when Uranium-235
receives a neutron and undergoes fission, breaking apart to create smaller elements as well as neutrons to sustain further fission of other U-235 atoms.
• The heat from this reaction evaporates water to drive a steam turbine, creating electricity
http://www.biofuelswatch.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/nuclear-fission-196x300.png
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Traditional Nuclear Reactors IssuesTraditional Nuclear Reactors Issues
2,859 GRADUATE
• Large amounts of nuclear waste
• Some nuclear waste take over a millennium to degrade.
• Potential for runaway reaction (i.e. a “meltdown”).
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/About/General/2009/10/19/1255947981833/nuclear-waste-001.jpg
• Operated under pressure with water at high temperature. A tank rupture can cause radioactive material to flash to the atmosphere.
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Liquid Fluoride Thorium ReactorsLiquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors• Uses Thorium-232 as fuel, with a small amount of Uranium-233 undergoing fission to initiate reaction before becoming self-sustaining.• Thorium-232 accepts a neutron to become Thorium-233, eventually decaying into more Uranium-233 to continue the cycle.
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Liquid Fluoride Thorium ReactorsLiquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors
http://www.viewzone.com/thorium+cycle.gif
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Liquid Fluoride Thorium ReactorsLiquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/2999/saltmelt1.gif
• Fuel for the LFTR is a Thorium tetrafluoride – Beryllium salt.• The salt is solid at room temperature, but becomes at liquid in the high operating temperatures found in the LFTR.
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http://energyfromthorium.com/images/LFTR_TMRgraphic.png
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Economic ViabilityEconomic Viability• Price of thorium is comparable to
that of uranium. • 1 tonne of Thorium can produce
approximately 1 gigawatt of energy compared to the needed 177 tonnes of Uranium for the same amount of energy in a conventional reactor.
• No need for cooling towers, smaller equipment than traditional nuclear plant, and less land area required for site reduce fixed capital investments.
http://www.thorium.tv/images/thorium_metal_ingot.jpg
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LFTR SafetyLFTR Safety• LFTR feed and wastes
cannot be weaponized without advanced separation facilities.
• U233 (bomb making material) is recycled back into the cycle and consumed.
• This U233 is also contaminated with U232 which is very radioactive and hard to separate
http://pfpfp.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/nuclear-explosion.png
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LFTR SafetyLFTR Safety• LFTR’s operate at atmospheric
pressure and cannot flash radioactive material in case of tank rupture.
• LFTR’s operate at high temperature (~ 800 )℃ to keep the thorium-fluoride salt in the liquid state.
• LFTR’s have a passive meltdown safety measure. A solidified plug of thorium-fluoride is maintained electrically. If power/cooling should fail, the plug will melt, dumping the reactor contents into tanks. http://www.viewzone.com/thorium.html
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EnvironmentalEnvironmental ImpactImpact• LFTR’s burn
almost all fuel, producing very little waste.
• After processing, 83% of the waste degrades within 10 years. Approximately 17% of the waste degrades in under 300 years.
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Sustainability• Thorium is the 36th
abundant element on Earth.
• A US geological study from 2010 estimated the global Thorium reserves to be approximately 1.66 million tonnes.
http://thoriumenergyalliance.com/downloads/usa_thorium_map.gif
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ChallengesChallenges • Reactor still requires some U233 to start the
reaction.• There is limited information on the chemical
and physical properties of liquid thorium-fluoride salt.
• Very small amount of long-lasting radioactive wastes that still lack a method of separation from short-term waste. Viable methods have been suggested but are untested.
• Properties of Thorium fuel cycles are not well documented compared to traditional fission routes. More research needs to be done before investing in LFTR’s.
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ConclusionConclusion• Thorium is abundant
enough to sustain current global energy needs for the next thousand years.
• Thorium is a profitable and more environmentally friendly than other nuclear alternatives.
• The LFTR has much greater inherent safety over traditional nuclear reactors.
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RecommendationsRecommendations• Invest further research in the
properties the chemical and physical properties of liquid thorium-fluoride.
• Place a higher focus on designing separation methods for the LFTR waste products.
• Build more pilot plants to better understand nuances of LFTR’s.
http://www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/downloads/American_Scientist_Hargraves.pdf
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ReferencesReferences1. Hargraves, R., & Ralph, M. (2010). Liquid fluoride thorium reactors. American
Scientist, 98, 304-313. Retrieved from http://www.thoriumenergyalliance.com/downloads/American_Scientist_Hargraves.pdf
2. Arjun, M., & Michele, B. (2009). Thorium fuel: No panacea for nulcear power. PSR, 1-3. Retrieved from http://ieer.org/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/thorium2009factsheet.pdf
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