3 ms·

It's actually a bit hard to quantify. The true cost of radioactive waste is related to what type of radiation it emits (gamma? alpha particles?), how long-lived

by pkrein 14y ago

It's actually a bit hard to quantify. The true cost of radioactive waste is related to what type of radiation it emits (gamma? alpha particles?), how long-lived the radiation is i.e. it's half-life, and the actual quantity of that material that is produced per Watt. This triple-axis makes it a bit hard to quantify in simple terms, but the main idea behind thorium is that the waste has a significantly shorter half-life[1]. Depending on the exact reactor design, there may also be ways to reduce the quantity of secondary waste (like water that's been exposed to heavy neutron flux while transferring energy from nuclear core --> steam turbines). [1] : http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2011/09/11/is-thorium-the-biggest-energy-breakthrough-since-fire-possibly/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2011/09/11/is-th...

ScotterC 14y ago
The best way to think of it is since U-233 is so much easier to burn then U-235 is like tinder instead of lumber. It reduces to much less and burns thoroughly.
WiseWeasel 14y ago
There's also the huge difference between solid fuel rods used in uranium-fueled nuclear reactors and the liquid fuel used in molten salt thorium reactors. Solid fuel rods break down beyond use after less than one percent of the fissile material has been consumed, at which point the entire reactor must be shut down and the fuel rods replaced. With molten salt reactors, the fuel is constantly being replenished and the waste removed during operation, allowing a much larger portion of the fissile material (up to 99%) to be consumed before being treated as waste. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_fluoride_thorium_reactor#Economy_and_efficiency http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_fluoride_thorium_reactor...
g8oz 14y ago
Offtopic: how did you get a .pk domain?
- umairsiddique 14y ago
  http://www.pknic.net.pk http://www.pknic.net.pk

by pkrein 14y ago

ScotterC 14y ago

The best way to think of it is since U-233 is so much easier to burn then U-235 is like tinder instead of lumber. It reduces to much less and burns thoroughly.

WiseWeasel 14y ago

There's also the huge difference between solid fuel rods used in uranium-fueled nuclear reactors and the liquid fuel used in molten salt thorium reactors. Solid fuel rods break down beyond use after less than one percent of the fissile material has been consumed, at which point the entire reactor must be shut down and the fuel rods replaced. With molten salt reactors, the fuel is constantly being replenished and the waste removed during operation, allowing a much larger portion of the fissile material (up to 99%) to be consumed before being treated as waste. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_fluoride_thorium_reactor#Economy_and_efficiency http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_fluoride_thorium_reactor...

g8oz 14y ago

Offtopic: how did you get a .pk domain?

umairsiddique 14y ago
http://www.pknic.net.pk http://www.pknic.net.pk