A slightly different type of msr can consume the uraniumplutonium waste from solidfueled reactors as fuel. Moderation in the salt would be accomplished by li enriched in li7, depleted in li6 and be, and. The team plan to fire up a prototype thorium reactor in 2015. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor is a type of molten salt reactor. Videos pertaining to thorium as an energy source, usually via liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr which is a type of molten salt reactor msr. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoridebased, molten, liquid salt for fuel. The fissile material can be used to fuel most any fission reactor but is especially appropriate for molten salt reactors msr also called liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr because of the.
Lftr disadvantages liquid fluoride thorium reactors. Thermal power generated from nuclear fission would drive electrical. Research and development of thorium based nuclear reactors, primarily the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr, msr design, has been or is now being done in the united states, united kingdom, germany, brazil, india, china, france, the czech republic, japan, russia, canada, israel, denmark and the netherlands. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr consists of a critical core orange. October 8, 2018, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the operation of the moltensalt reactor experiment msre using uranium233 as a fuel. Nuclear power generation is under intense scrutiny due to the recent japanese disaster. The generation iv reactor designs are attempts to do just that. Moltensaltfueled reactors msrs supply the nuclear fuel in the form of a molten salt mixture.
Aug 08, 2011 the criticality of a molten salt reactor is controlled by varying the concentration of fissile to moderator, that is, tweaking the kinfinity of the reactor, rather than the control mechanism of a solid element reactor, where you tweak the probability of nonleakage. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor was nominated as a engineering and technology good article, but it did not meet the good article criteria at the time. The mosel reactor concept no ocr, 300 dpi image, 10. Introduction thorium fluoride, thf 4, is the currently preferred low index material which is transparent from the uv to the ir. Alvin weinberg in order to be vigorously continued, nuclear power must be profoundly modified, thorium is absolute preeminence. In the future the prices of a molten salt reactor and a light water reactor would be about the same to build, and given the high efficiency, lftrs hold some advantages 9 you could use the otherwise waste heat to desalinate water and do many other useful tasks. Ive read that lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactors that uses very hot liquid fuel in place of solid uranium pellets, is substantially safer and more efficient than traditional nuclear reactors. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoride based, molten, liquid salt for fuel. Jan 17, 2012 you can safely hold in your hand enough thorium to generate all the electricity youll use in your entire life.
Lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactor interview youtube. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor indian defence forum. At temperatures above 500 c, it reacts with atmospheric moisture to produce thof 2. Molten salt reactors msrs represent a class of reactors that use liquid salt, usually fluoride or chloridebased, as either a coolant with a solid fuel such as fluoride saltcooled high temperature reactors or as a combined coolant and fuel with fuel dissolved in a carrier salt.
Molten salt reactors incl liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Pdf advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr, a possible contendor for nuclear propulsion systems the liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr are purportedly safer no harmful radioactive wastes produced, less expensive, smaller in size, does not use weaponsgrade radioactive fuels and run on thorium 232, which is apparently an abundant heavy metal. Pdf liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is an innovative design for the thermal breeder reactor that has important potential benefits over the. A significant advantage of using thorium to breed u233 is that relatively little plutonium is produced from the th232 because six more neutron absorptions are required than is the case with u238. I have no qualms in trying to campaign for uk manufacture of lftrs and if any of you feel so inclined, make it happen here by voting on 38degrees, the campaigning website and search for uk manufacture of liquid fluoride thorium reactors. Flibe energy has taken the 1960s oak ridge molten salt reactor work and enhanced the design into the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr. The large expensive breeding blanket of thorium salt was omitted in favor of neutron.
Fast spectrum molten salt reactor options info oak ridge. The concept is simple, yet thoroughly investigated. Proponents of renewable energy concede that thorium is preferable to uranium. The lftr is a liquid fueled, graphitemoderated, thermal spectrum breeder reactor optimized for operation on a thorium supported uranium233 th233u fuel cycle. There is a viable option to replace current nuclear technology. Thoriumiv fluoride th f 4 is an inorganic chemical compound.
Thorium reactors are the latest big thing in nuclear spin. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison with light water reactor conference paper pdf available november 2014 with 1,323 reads how we measure reads. It uses lithium fluoride beryllium fluoride flibe salt as its primary coolant in both circuits. Msrs can process decay products due to their use of fluids rather than solid fuels. Some people believe that liquid fluoride thorium reactors, which would use a high temperature liquid fuel made of molten salt, would be. The joint evaluated fission and fusion file jeff, version 3. Lftr or liquid fluoride thorium reactor is a safer, cleaner, and more efficient nuclear reactor. Liquid fluoride thorium reactors are seen as the future of energy. Nuclear reactors fueled with thorium and uranium do not provide any clear overall advantages over reactors fueled with uranium alone.
A molten salt reactor msr is a class of generation iv nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear reactor coolant, or even the fuel itself, is a molten salt mixture. The first experiment is on a setup called a moltensalt fast reactor, which burns thorium salt and in theory should also be able to consume spent nuclear fuel from typical uranium fission reactions. Should we consider using liquid fluoride thorium reactors. This is useful because when thorium 232 absorbs a neutron it beta decays to proactinium233, which has a half. They will look at fluorination of lithium fluoride beryllium fluoride. Now what with ryan duffy covers some of the innovative things people are doing about some of the worlds largest problems.
One especially cool possibility suitable for the thermalbreeding capability of the thu fuel cycle is the molten salt reactor msr, or as one particular msr is commonly known on the internet, the liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is a promising, innovative reactor design that uses liquid instead of solid fuel, and thorium instead of uranium, giving it considerable benefits over traditional uraniumfuelled light water reactors lwrs. Apr 29, 2015 liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is an innovative design for the thermal breeder reactor that has important potential benefits over the traditional reactor design. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr design by flibe energy is a graphitemoderated, thermalspectrum reactor with solutions of liquid fluoride salts containing both fissile and fertile materials. Lftr is fluoride based liquid fuel, that use the thorium dissolved in salt mixture of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride. Juhaszl nasa glenn research center, cleveland, ohio 445 richard a. In these, fuel is not cast into pellets, but is rather dissolved in a vat of liquid salt. Liquid fuel molten salt reactors for thorium utilization. For countries with nuclear capabilities, starting or reopening the research into the various methods of fueling a thorium reactor may be somewhat costly, but could also be lifechanging to future generations. Flibe energy with its liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr concept, is one of the three companies that was today awarded a gain nuclear energy ne voucher to accelerate the innovation and application of.
Search for either lftrs or molten salt reactors msr. A thoriumsalt reactor has fired up for the first time in. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison with light water reactor. To a limited group of technophiles and nuclear technology enthusiasts, thorium has become a unicorn. This paper will focus on the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr design, an implementation of one such gen iv idea, the molten salt reactor. So once the thorium fuel cycle is started by adding fissile u 235, theoretically, no more fissile material will ever need to be added. Alternatively, sign the epetition on the hm government website. Using that template, the energy from thorium team helped produce a design for a new liquid fluoride thorium reactor, or lftr pronounced lifter, which, according to estimates by sorensen and others, would be some 50 percent more efficient than todays lightwater uranium reactors.
Future is not looking good for thorium nuclear reactors. Evaporated films are durable and chemically stable and exhibit low stress in thicknesses up to 2 m. Many of these documents came from a set of 6 cdroms, which were created. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor is the key to producing life saving cancer treatments and clean, reliable, sustainable energy. The liquidfluoride thorium reactor lftr design by flibe energy is a graphitemoderated, thermalspectrum reactor with solutions of liquid fluoride salts containing both fissile and fertile materials. In a typical design, the liquid is pumped between a critical core and an external heat exchanger where the heat is transferred to a nonradioactive secondary salt.
These thorium reactor pros and cons prove that there is a lot of potential in this technology. Maybe we can have them become interested in molten salt reactors such as liquid fluoride thorium reactor to provide power all the time, or all the time solarwind are not generating enough, replacing coal and oil. Thorium converts to uranium inside the reactor molten salt. It operates at high temperatures and atmospheric pressure, and is hoped to provide a safe form of commercialscale nuclear energy. If bombarded by neutrons, though, it turns into an isotope of uranium, 233. Liquid fluoride thorium reactors ive read that lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactors that uses very hot liquid fuel in place of solid uranium pellets, is substantially safer and more efficient than traditional nuclear reactors. According to their enthusiastic proponents, these reactors will be smaller, safer, cheaper, cleaner, will take over the energy market in great numbers, and. The hanzehogeschool is advised to continue research into this technology. Thorium can be employed in a variety of reactor types, some of which currently use uraniumincluding heavy water reactors like canadas candu. Thorium reactor liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr. High efficiency nuclear power plants using liquid fluoride thorium reactor technology albert j. Dont forget the word thorium in your question next time and make sure you target nuclear energy with your next question on this subject.
I hope that in a second nuclear era, the fluoridereactor technology will be resurrected. Thorium reactors liquid fluoride thorium reactor desings fusion reactors bubble column reactors. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor or lftr is a specific fission energy. Rarick2 and rajmohan rangarajan3 cleveland state university, cleveland, ohio 44115 an overall system analysis approach is used to propose potential conceptual designs of. While the reactor can be used to consume any fissile material, it is particularly efficient 1 using the thorium fuel cycle. A lftr is a type of molten salt reactor, significantly safer than a typical nuclear reactor.
Thorium is an element that is more than 3 times more abundant worldwide and is an alternate source of nuclear power. Oct 18, 2014 a liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is the optimal approach for harvesting energy from thorium, and has the potential to solve todays energyclimate crisis. The lftr is unique, having a hot liquid core thus eliminating fuel fabrication costs and the. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor thorium nuclear energy. Unlike conventional light water reactor designs, the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is a type of molten salt reactor msr, that was first demonstrated in the 1960s. We propose the burning of thorium dissolved as a fluoride in molten salt in the minimum viscosity mixture of lithium fluoride lif and beryllium fluoride bef 2 together with a small amount of uranium235 235u or plutonium fluoride to initiate the process to be located at least 10 meters underground. Update on the liquid fluoride thorium reactor projects in. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr has 3,414 members. As fission radioactive decay occurs, heat is released and free neutrons start changing more thorium into uranium233. Thorium and uranium233 are dissolved in molten lithium fluoride salt in the reactor. Such reactors do not require fuel rods, and interest in developing the technology has grown in the early 21st century. Much of their work culminated with the moltensalt reactor experiment msre. Reactors containing molten thorium salt are called liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr. Heat from the reactor is transferred to another loop of molten salt not containing nuclear materials.
First new thorium salt reactor in 40 years comes online. However, thorium cannot be used by itself to sustain a nuclear chain reaction. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr public group facebook. The information on thorium and thorium fuel cycles has been well covered in the iaeatecdoc1155 may 2000 and iaeatecdoc19 november 2002. This element itself is not fissile but when used in a liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr, it can potentially be a source of nuclear power that is cheaper, cleaner, and safer compared to current uranium power plants. Some people believe that liquid fluoride thorium reactors, which would use a high. Thorium fluoride, thf 4, is currently the preferred low index material which is transparent from the uv to the ir. Only the twofluid design of our lftr pronounced lifter can harness the full potential of thorium to be used for not only sustainable power, but also for.
Fluoride action network funding for thorium molten salt. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor page 4 physics forums. The combination of these two technologies is known as the liquid fluoride thorium reactor or lftr, because the fuel is in form of a molten fluoride salt of thorium and other elements. Thorium fluoride, thf4, for optical coating materion. The goal here is to present the basics of a lftr design and the inherent advantages and problems with such a design. Thorium could be used in a variety of different types of reactors, including conventional lightwater reactors, which are the type used in the united states. Flibe energy, which is based in huntsville, alabama, recently noted the company is looking to establish a liquid fluoride thorium reactor in the u. The major goal of the msrp was to achieve a thorium reactor that could produce power at low cost while simultaneously conserving and. Due to the fact that there is a flowing molten salt, the device does have to be kept quite hot, and many of the salts in the molten salt blanket are quite viscous right around their melting point. Liquid fluoride thorium reactors an old idea in nuclear power gets reexamined robert hargraves and ralph moir what if we could turn back the clock to 1965 and have an energy doover. Thorium could provide a safe solution to nuclear power. High efficiency nuclear power plants using liquid fluoride.
Researchers at nrg, a dutch firm, have started work on a fission generator that would be the first active thorium salt reactor since the closure of a reactor at oak ridge national laboratory in the early 70s. In june of that year, the mol ten salt reactor experiment msre achieved criticality for the first time at oak ridge national laboratory ornl in tennessee. Back in the 1950s and 1960s, the scientists at oak ridge national laboratory in the usa developed the molten salt reactor design a liquid salt fueled and cooled nuclear reactor system. For educational purposes only dartmouth college, may 2016. A liquid fluoride reactor, the aircraft reactor experiment, was operated at oak ridge national laboratory in 1954 as part of the anp program. Researchers at nrg, a dutch firm, have started work on a fission generator that would be the first active thorium salt reactor since the closure of a reactor at oak ridge national laboratory in. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor nuclear physics britannica. A liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is a type of molten salt reactor msr that can use inexpensive thorium for fuel thorium becomes uranium inside the reactor. Kirk sorensen presented an introduction to flibe energy at the thorium energy conference 2011 55 pages flibe energy will initially design, develop and demonstrate a small modular liquid fluoride thorium reactor smlftr for the us military. Flibe energy is a startup that is also trying to develop liquid fluoride thorium reactors.
The first fuel was a highenriched 33% u235 uranium dissolved as uf4 in a lifbef2zrf4 salt. Lessons for the liquidfluoride thorium reactor pdf. Is thorium the fuel of the future to revitalize nuclear. Nuclear programs across the world are reevaluating regarding their future power source citing valid safety concerns. The liquid flouride thorium reactor lftr solution youtube. Flibe energy with its liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr concept, is one of the three companies that was today awarded a gain nuclear energy ne voucher to accelerate the innovation and application of its technology. This happens inside a lftr, or some other types of molten salt reactor, with no fuel fabrication needed. Aka molten salt reactors msr, or liquid fluoride thorium. Thorium reactors are the latest flavour in nuclear power hype. But does thorium really represent nuclear innovation. Jul 18, 2012 lftr stands for liquid fluoride thorium reactor. But some experts say new technologies, such as molten salt reactors, including liquid fluoride thorium reactors, are much safer and more efficient than todays conventional reactors. Wyoming lftr energy alliance a nonprofit association. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor page 3 physics forums.
Thorium is three times more abundant in nature compared to uranium and occurs mainly as fertile 232th isotope. When people started to do research in the field of nuclear energy in the midnineties, the molten salt reactors were soon invented. Natural thorium is relatively abundant in many parts of the world, including those lacking uranium resources. Thorium fueled molten salt reactors are often referred to as liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr. This arrangement generally works best in a reactor type called an lftr pronounced lifter, a liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Buy what is a lftr, and how can a reactor be so safe molten salt reactors, including liquid fluoride thorium reactors. A short video of kirk sorensen taking us through the benefits of liquid fluoride thorium reactors, a revolutionary liquid reactor that runs not on uranium, but thorium. They use thorium that is a relatively more abundant and safer element as their fuel.
Thermal breeder reactors thermal breeder known as the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr employs molten fluoride salt to transfer heat to the turbines. They work by injecting a alpha particle into a thorium nucleus, turning it into u233. It is a white hygroscopic powder which can be produced by reacting thorium with fluorine gas. Desired first demonstration at a military site to be determined. Flibe energy liquid flouride thorium reactor company. Flibe energy in the usa is studying a 40 mw twofluid graphitemoderated thermal reactor concept based on the 1970s msre. Fsmsr fuel salt preparation using fluoride volatility and fluoride salt cleanup. Has an experimental proofofconcept thorium reactor been built and run. From the inception of nuclear power programme, the immense potential of 232th for breeding humanmade fissile isotope 233u efficiently in a thermal neutron reactor has been recognized. Pdf advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in.
Lftrs use a combination of thorium a common element widely found in the earth and fluoride salts to. Thus, this paper seeks to critically examine these claims and exhaustively analyze the differences between thorium plants in particular liquid fluoride thorium reactors, or lftrs and traditional uranium plants. Why the molten salt reactor msr was not developed by the usa, by bruce hoglund. A liquid fluoride reactor a specific example of a molten salt reactor is a nuclear reactor wherein the nuclear materials are fluoride salts dissolved in a solution of other fluoride salts. Lftrs are an example of both generation iv reactors in other words, future nuclear reactors which prioritise safety and reduction of waste products but which are still in the designexperimental phase and molten salt reactors. Molten salt reactors are generation iv nuclear fission reactors that use molten salt as either the primary reactor coolant or as the fuel itself. Thorium fuel cycle potential benefits and challenges. Thorium cant fission it is fertile, not fissile, it must be converted into uranium before it can produce energy. But by 2017 the shanghai institute of applied physics expects to have one that uses a trickier but better fuel, molten thorium fluoride.
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