Nuclear fuel resources conversion

The advantage of the Th-U fuel cycle is that it increases nuclear energy resources considerably because thorium is about three times more abundant on earth than uranium and almost as widely distributed. In combination with the uranium fuel cycle it could more than double the lifetime of the uranium resources by running the reactors at a high conversion rate (-1.0) and recycling the fuel. Very rich thorium minerals are more common than rich uranium minerals. The presence of extensive thorium ores has motivated some countries (e.g. India) to develop the Th-U fuel cycle. 

Implementation of the 1998 Kyoto Protocol, which is designed to reduce global carbon emissions, will have dramatic effects on fossil fuel usage worldwide. The Kyoto Protocol mostly affects delivered prices for coal and conversion of plants to natural gas, nuclear and/or renewable resources. However, as pointed out by the International Energy Agency, increased natural gas consumption in the United States may likely have the effect of increased reliance... 

The oil industry has to enrich crude oil with hydrogen to produce lighter petroleum products. Today, the vast majority of hydrogen in refineries is produced by steam methane reforming, this production accounts for approximately 1% ( 0.3 Gt) of the C02 world emissions. For comparison, it is approximately equal to 15% of avoided C02 emissions thanks to the world nuclear reactors fleet. Besides, the tradition Fischer-Tropsch process to produce synfuels has a poor conversion yield and is a large C02 emitter one-third of the resource is used to produce the hydrogen required for the process, when another third is used to produce the energy required for the process. Two-thirds of the carbon resource is therefore converted directly into C02, and not into fuel. 

Synergistic utilisation of fossil fuels and nuclear energy has prospects of efficient conversion of primary energies into energy carriers and lower the cost of conversion as well as the favorable impacts on resources and environment. 

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