I want to refer my readers to an excellent article on the difference between the performance of the Fukushima Daiichi and Fukushima Daini reactors to the earthquake and tsunami.
As the blog explains, Daiichi means number 1 and Daini means number 2. Daiichi was built first by about a decade or more and Daini was built later. The reactors at Daini fared better in the same earthquake and tsunami than those at Daiichi because designers added to their experience in the intervening decade.
Fukushima Daini was built three decades ago. Reactor designs have continued their evolution and Generation III and III+ reactors have passive safety features that prevent the problems that Daiichi had due to the earthquake and tsunami.
Molten Salt Thorium reactors (LFTRs) take these passive, physics based safety features even one step better.
My point is that nuclear power is here to stay unless we want to return to the standard of living of our distant ancestors. As somebody once said, "The stone age didn't end because the world ran out of stones". And the oil age may or may not end before the world runs out of petroleum, but the energy locked inside the nucleus of thorium can cleanly provide power to all of humanity at western standards for millions of years. (BTW there is enough thorium in the Continental US for America to have real energy independence.)
As the blog explains, Daiichi means number 1 and Daini means number 2. Daiichi was built first by about a decade or more and Daini was built later. The reactors at Daini fared better in the same earthquake and tsunami than those at Daiichi because designers added to their experience in the intervening decade.
Fukushima Daini was built three decades ago. Reactor designs have continued their evolution and Generation III and III+ reactors have passive safety features that prevent the problems that Daiichi had due to the earthquake and tsunami.
Molten Salt Thorium reactors (LFTRs) take these passive, physics based safety features even one step better.
My point is that nuclear power is here to stay unless we want to return to the standard of living of our distant ancestors. As somebody once said, "The stone age didn't end because the world ran out of stones". And the oil age may or may not end before the world runs out of petroleum, but the energy locked inside the nucleus of thorium can cleanly provide power to all of humanity at western standards for millions of years. (BTW there is enough thorium in the Continental US for America to have real energy independence.)
The safety features of molten salt thorium fueled reactors are just amazing! The freeze plug, operation at near atmospheric pressures, proliferation resistance, great improvements in fuel "efficiency", ability to burn up existing wastes and stop creating long lived wastes, the extreme reduction in reactor size and equipment requirements, a very strong negative temperature coefficient of reactivity, less manpower required to maintain and operate, online refueling, online reprocessing, ability to easily remove gaseous Xenon-135 and other fission products, an extremely abundant source of energy (far more abundant than Uranium-238), inability for a reactor to "blow up" as energy can only be released at a measured rate from the reactor, ability to replace several light water Uranium fueled reactors with a single Thorium fueled reactor, and MUCH MUCH MUCH MORE!!! Want more information? Come learn with the guys and gals at Lansing Nuclear! Search for "Lansing Nuclear" on Facebook. - Norman Dumond
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