[3] What is a Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor? A completely different reactor, liquid fuel, stable coolant, use inexpensive Thorium or consume nuclear waste for fuel, makes no long-term nuclear waste, and we know it works since we built and operated one.
Safer
- LFTRs have no high pressure to contain (no water coolant), generate no combustible or explosive materials;
- Freeze Plug melts, fuel drains to passive cooling tanks, no power or water
- LFTRs can passively cool even without water or electricity;
- Fluoride salt coolant can’t evaporate away, so loss of coolant accidents are physically impossible;
Much More Economical
- Ambient-pressure operation makes LFTRs easier and cost less to build (no pressure containment dome, no high-pressure pipes);
- Operating cost is less since inherent safety means less complex systems;
- Fuel cost is lower since thorium is a cheap, plentiful fuel;
- No expensive enrichment or fuel rod fabrication is required;
- Total to develop LFTR technology and factory less than the $10-12 Billion cost of a Single new LWR; then 100MW LFTR cost $200Million
Much Less Nuclear Waste
A LFTR’s waste is safe within 350 years. To produce 1 gigawatt electricity for a year, takes 800kg of thorium or uranium/plutonium waste. 83% of the fission byproducts are safe in 10 years, 17% (135 kg, 300 lbs) within 350 years, no uranium or plutonium left as waste. After that, radiation is below background radiation levels. (Compare to 250,000kg uranium to make 35,000kg enriched uranium for a solid-fueled reactor, all needing storage for 100,000+ years.)
Can Consume Nuclear Waste
Instead of thorium, a LFTR can use uranium or plutonium waste, from other reactors. 800kg of nuclear waste would work in the same reactor instead of 800kg thorium, with same fission byproducts, same electrical output. Convert 800kg to be stored for 100,000+ years, to 135kg for 350 years.
Easier Siting
Without needing a huge containment building, LFTRs use a much smaller site. LFTRs can be safely built close to where there is electrical need (50MW to 2GW), avoiding transmission line power loss. No water source required. LFTRs can even be deployed for military field use or disaster relief.
Can Produce Vehicle Fuel
In addition to delivering carbon-free electricity, LFTRs high temperature output can generate carbon-neutral vehicle fuels, using only water and carbon dioxide (from the atmosphere or large CO2 sources such as coal plants).
LFTRs are less expensive and more environmentally friendly than other sources of base-load power or grid power storage, needed to supplement wind and/or solar power.
National Roll-Out
The total cost of developing LFTR technology and building assembly line production (like assembly line production of aircraft, with better safety standards than is achievable with on-site construction) will be much less than the $10-$12 Billion for a single new solid-fueled water-cooled reactor or single nuclear waste disposal plant. With sufficient R&D funding (around $1 billion), five years to commercialization is entirely realistic (including construction of factories,
Completely Different Reactor
There is very little LFTRs have in common with the solid fueled, water cooled reactors in use today. (Even using thorium in a solid fueled, water cooled reactor, such as India is doing, does not give the safety and waste-reducing benefits of a molten fueled, salt cooled reactor.)