High efficiency nuclear power plants using liquid fluoride thorium reactor technology albert j. Lftr disadvantages liquid fluoride thorium reactors. Its my understanding that thorium reactors in india are using solid fuel. The salt of this reactor did not contain any thorium because it was intended to.
The licensingrelated design and safety features combine those of a reactor. Thus, this paper seeks to critically examine these claims and exhaustively analyze the differences between thorium plants in particular liquid fluoride thorium reactors, or lftrs and traditional uranium plants. All but a trace of the worlds thorium exists as the useful isotope, which means it does. Safety assessment of molten salt reactors in comparison with light. While its interesting to hear about what they have accomplished, from what i can see solid fuel reactors have very little crossover with molten salt reactors msr or liquidfluoride thorium reactors lftr. In a large pool of thorium fluoride gradually transmuting to u233, it seems at least possible for gradients to form with potentially quite different fuel concentrations and compositions. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor page 2 physics forums. The prothorium lobby claim a single tonne of thorium burned in a molten salt reactor msr typically a liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr which has liquid rather than solid fuel, can. Lftrs are an example of both generation iv reactors in other words, future nuclear reactors which prioritise safety and reduction of waste products but which are still in the designexperimental phase and molten salt reactors.
A molten salt reactor msr is a class of nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear reactor coolant andor the fuel is a molten salt mixture. With thorium, we are thus complementing our work with small wind power in providing universal electricity for communication and access to information. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoride based, molten, liquid salt for fuel. Researchers at nrg, a dutch firm, have started work on a fission generator that would be the first active thorium salt reactor since the closure of a reactor at oak ridge national laboratory. Ive read that lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactors that uses very hot liquid fuel in place of solid uranium pellets, is substantially safer and more efficient than traditional nuclear reactors. Heat from the reactor is transferred to another loop of molten salt not containing nuclear materials. As fission radioactive decay occurs, heat is released and free neutrons start changing more thorium into uranium233. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr public group facebook. New measurements of the physicochemical properties of fluoride salts have. Preface this article, number 28 in the series, discusses nuclear power via a thorium moltensalt reactor msr process. Introduction of thorium in the nuclear fuel cycle nuclear energy.
Thorium fluoride, thf4, for optical coating materion. Molten salt reactors incl liquid fluoride thorium reactor. A liquid fluoride reactor, the aircraft reactor experiment, was operated at oak ridge national laboratory in 1954 as part of the anp program. Although thorium is more abundant than uranium, the cost of uranium is a small fraction of the overall cost of nuclear. What is the abbreviation for liquid fluoride thorium reactors. A thoriumsalt reactor has fired up for the first time in.
In the reactor, 232 th is transmuted into the fissile artificial uranium isotope 233 u which is the nuclear fuel. Using that template, the energy from thorium team helped produce a design for a new liquid fluoride thorium reactor, or lftr pronounced lifter, which, according to estimates by sorensen and others, would be some 50 percent more efficient than todays lightwater uranium reactors. The first experiment is on a setup called a moltensalt fast reactor, which burns thorium salt and in theory should. Note, this is also sometimes referred to as lftr, for liquid fluoride thorium reactor the thorium msr is frequently trotted out by nuclear power advocates, whenever the numerous drawbacks to uranium fission reactors are mentioned. According to their enthusiastic proponents, these reactors will be smaller, safer, cheaper, cleaner, will take over the energy market in great numbers, and. Thorium fluoride thorium tetrafluoride 709596100 100. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor is a type of molten salt reactor. Dont believe the spin on thorium being a greener nuclear. Thorium reactors supplying local minigrids could provide for this need. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoridebased, molten, liquid salt for fuel. Centralized mass production offers the advantages of specialization among workers, product standardization, and optimization.
In a typical design, the liquid is pumped between a critical core and an external heat exchanger where the heat is transferred to a nonradioactive secondary salt. Molten salt reactors are generation iv nuclear fission reactors that use molten salt as either the primary reactor coolant or as the fuel itself. Thorium reactors are the latest flavour in nuclear power hype. Innovative hybrid reactor concepts that combine the characteristics of different. Liquid fluoride salts are being developed to transport heat in hightemperature.
The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr consists of a critical core orange. This claim, although made in the report from the house of lords, has no basis in fact. By contrast, liquidfluoride thorium reactors are not just efficient but also proven. The first thorium salt reactors in over 40 years were just. A liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is a type of molten salt reactor msr that can use inexpensive thorium for fuel thorium becomes uranium inside the reactor. Introduction thorium fluoride, thf 4, is the currently preferred low index material which is transparent from the uv to the ir. The licensingrelated design and safety features combine those of a reactor and a. Unlike natural uranium, natural thorium contains only trace amounts of fissile material such as 231 th, which are insufficient to initiate a nuclear chain reaction.
Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is an innovative design for the thermal breeder reactor that has important potential benefits over the traditional reactor design. Manufacturing lftrs easier than other reactors molten. Research and development of thorium based nuclear reactors, primarily the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr, msr design, has been or is now being done in the united states, united kingdom, germany, brazil, india, china, france, the czech republic, japan, russia, canada, israel, denmark and the netherlands. Molten salt reactor, nuclear fuel cycle, breedandburn. Is thorium the fuel of the future to revitalize nuclear. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor page 4 physics forums. Thorium fluoride is a naturally radioactive material and must be handled and wastes disposed of in accordance with state andor federal regulations. Thorium molten salt reactor tmsr was developed based on a 2500mwt. For countries with nuclear capabilities, starting or reopening the research into the various methods of fueling a thorium reactor may be somewhat costly, but could also be lifechanging to future generations.
Thorium reactor liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr. For both configurations the gas turbine working fluid is helium he. Lftrs use a combination of thorium a common element widely found in the earth and fluoride salts to. More on why we need the liquid fluoride thorium reactor. First new thorium salt reactor in 40 years comes online. Introduction any nuclear power plant has the following basic needs. We discussed yesterday why the lftr is a totally safe alternative not just for fossil fuels. Lftr abbreviation stands for liquid fluoride thorium reactors. The free thorium and zinc combine in an alloy, which settles to the bottom of the. The major goal of the msrp was to achieve a thorium reactor that could produce power at low cost while simultaneously conserving and extending the nations fuel resources. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison with light water reactor conference paper pdf available november 2014 with 1,323 reads how we measure reads. Therefore, lftr technology is fundamentally different from the solid fuel technology currently in use. Dissolving the thorium salts into this molten liquid and irradiating it with neutrons to kick off the transmutation is one way to extract energy from.
Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr has 3,414 members. Now what with ryan duffy covers some of the innovative things people are doing about some of the worlds largest problems. Juhaszl nasa glenn research center, cleveland, ohio 445 richard a. The amount of material inhaled should be assessed and documented. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor was nominated as a engineering and technology good article, but it did not meet the good article criteria at the time. These thorium reactor pros and cons prove that there is a lot of potential in this technology. Thorium reactors would be more economical than traditional uranium reactors, particularly because thorium is more abundant than uranium, has more energy potential than uranium, and doesnt have to be enriched. Update on the liquid fluoride thorium reactor projects in. Lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactor interview youtube. A slightly different type of msr can consume the uraniumplutonium waste from solidfueled reactors as fuel.
It is a white hygroscopic powder which can be produced by reacting thorium with fluorine gas. Thorium is three times more abundant in nature than uranium. High efficiency nuclear power plants using liquid fluoride thorium reactor technology. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor blue ribbon commission.
Has an experimental proofofconcept thorium reactor been built and run. Spent fuel from any lftr will be intensely radioactive and constitute. Highlevel waste is an unavoidable product of nuclear fission. Means of attaining a critical mass for a sustained nuclear fission. Maybe we can have them become interested in molten salt reactors such as liquid fluoride thorium reactor to provide power all the time, or all the time solarwind are not generating enough, replacing coal and oil. Thorium and uranium233 are dissolved in molten lithium fluoride salt in the reactor.
Lftr is fluoride based liquid fuel, that use the thorium dissolved in salt mixture of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor thorium nuclear energy. Thorium is much more abundant than uranium, and is significantly cheaper due to the abundance. I would like to have some idea of how the system would react to such changes in nuclear geometry. Thoriumiv fluoride th f 4 is an inorganic chemical compound. Lftr abbreviation stands for liquidfluoride thorium reactor. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor presented to presidents blue ribbon commission. Molten salt reactors msrs are liquidfueled reactors that can be used for.
The team at nrg is testing several reactor designs on a small scale at first. The thorium fuel cycle is a nuclear fuel cycle that uses an isotope of thorium, 232 th, as the fertile material. The fluoridefueled cores all feature a closed thoriumuranium fuel cycle and. With msrlftrs in mind, the indian results are inconsequential. Msrs offer multiple advantages over conventional nuclear power plants, although for historical reasons, they have not been deployed. Thorium is usually thrown away during the process of mining rareearth metals. This requires a broad look at nuclear reactors in chapter 4, which then focuses on the category of reactors that the. Buy what is a lftr, and how can a reactor be so safe molten salt reactors, including liquid fluoride thorium reactors. High efficiency nuclear power plants using liquid fluoride.
The lftr is unique, having a hot liquid core thus eliminating fuel fabrication costs and the. Lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactors all acronyms. Thorium reactors are the latest big thing in nuclear spin. Safety assessment of molten salt reactors in comparison. A liquidfluoride thorium reactor lftr is the optimal approach for harvesting energy from thorium, and has the potential to solve todays energyclimate crisis. The salt of this reactor did not contain any thorium because it was.
The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is a promising, innovative reactor design that uses liquid instead of solid fuel, and thorium instead of uranium, giving it considerable benefits over traditional uraniumfuelled light water reactors lwrs. Particle physicists such as nobelprizewinner carlo rubbia have also advocated the use of subcritical acceleratordriven thorium reactors, but this remains in the realm of scientific theory rather than nuclear engineering. Rarick2 and rajmohan rangarajan3 cleveland state university, cleveland, ohio 44115 an overall system analysis approach is used to propose potential conceptual designs of. Gram per gram, thorium is much more efficient than uranium, as around 99% of it is used in the reaction. A lftr is a type of molten salt reactor, significantly safer than a typical nuclear reactor. Dr john harries is a physicist with extensive experience on the physics of nuclear. Molten salt reactors use fluoride salts under low pressures as a coolant for the nuclear reaction. The first thorium salt reactors in over 40 years were just switched on in europe. Liquid fluoride thorium reactors generate no highlevel waste material. Molten salt reactors msrs are liquidfueled reactors that can be used for burning. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoridebased, molten. This talk will examine the history of thorium reactors. Pdf advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in.
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