fordiman

3 ms·

1. 1.▲
   by fordiman 12y ago

   A MSR breeder can potentially burn 98% of the available energy; ThorCon is a converter, but not a breeder. From what I can glean from their website and documentation, it looks like they get about 20% burnup.
2. 2.▲
   by fordiman 12y ago

   > I'm not familiar with Thorium reactors at all, so forgive me for asking: how much long-lived nuclear waste do they produce? Almost none of the 250,000 year stuff. Almost entirely the 300 year stuff. Also, about 1/4 the tota
3. 3.▲
   by fordiman 12y ago

   Nope. Molten salt corrodes stainless at a rate of 0.025 mm / year. The solution: make the walls thicker, change out and inspect the primary vessel and plumbing every 4 years; you get 40 years per millimeter.
4. 4.▲
   by fordiman 12y ago

   Gates isn't working on Thorium; the TWR is a uranium / plutonium reactor.
5. 5.▲
   by fordiman 12y ago

   Never been a fan of HTGRs; the problem with LWRs is pressure, and what happens if you get to much of it or have a material failure. HTGRs have the same issue (though, not the potential for thermocatalytic degredation of the fuel elements).