Thorium reactor

For many years there has been interest in ntihzing thorium (Th-232) as a nuclear fuel since it is three times as abundant in the Earth s crast as uranium. Also, all of the mined thorium is potentially useable in a reactor, compared with the 0.7% of natural uranium, so some 40 times the amount of energy per unit mass might be available. A thorium reactor would work by having Th-232 capture a neutron to become Th-233 which decays to uranium-233, which fissions. The problem is that insufficient neutrons are generated to keep the reaction going. 

Weapons-grade fissionable material (U-233) is harder to retrieve safely and clandestinely from the thorium reactor than plutonium is from the uranium breeder reactor. 

Source-. L. Kiichler, L. Schafer, and B. Wojtech, The Thorex Two-Stage Process for Reprocessing Thorium Reactor Fuel with High Bumup," Kemtechnik 13 319 (1971). 

R3. Rainey, R. H., and J. G. Moore Laboratory Development of the Acid Thorex Process for Recovery of Consolidated Edison Thorium Reactor Fuel, Report ORNL-3155, May 11, 1962. 

Nuclear 10 Requires constructirai of a 1-GWpeak powCT plant every 35 h for the next 40 years. Einite uranium supplies imply need for fast breeder or thorium reactors... 

A representative application of the MSR concept is thorium reactor, and MSRE (Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment) with thermal output of 8 MW was developed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory in the USA and had been operated from 1966 to 1969. In the thorium reactor, the breeding of fissile nuclide, can be achieved through prevention of parasitic absorption by... 

M. C. Ediund et aL, Physics of Water-Bfoderated Thorium Reactors/ Proc. 2nd lnt. Coni, on Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, Vol. 13, United Nations, Geneva (1958) p. 482. 

Prior to the final installation of the reactor core in the Consolidated Edisdn Thorium Reactor at Indian Point, New Vork, the completed nuclear portion was checked at the B.ibcddk Wilcok Critical Experiment Laboratory. Initial criticality was reached on June 29, 1961. 

Thorium reactors are an important part of India s future nuclear program and the recycle of an essential part of assuring a long-term energy supply. 

The fuel cycle using thorium based on A. Radkowsky s RTR (Radkowsky Thorium Reactor) concept [VII-4], which has been studied in the RRC Kurchatov Institute for some years, is considered the prospective development of the VBER-300 to increase cost efficiency, enhance safety and protection of the environment. As a result of investigations performed by the RRC Kurchatov Institute , the concept of the VVER-T reactor has been developed, making maximum use of the existing WER-1000 technology, equipment and engineering solutions [VII-5], This concept is also supposed to be usable in the VBER-300. 

VII-5] PONOMAREV-STEPNOI N.N., LUNIN G.L., MOROZOV A.G. Light water thorium reactor VVER-T. Atomnaya Energia 85, issue 4 (1998), p. 263-277 (in Russian). 

Though the thorium reactor project was terminated late 1970s, the results obtained at that time formed a good basis for further technology development. 

---