Jul 18, 2012 lftr stands for liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Molten fluorides are not fun things to work with, they are very active. The approach with nuclear fuel enclosed in graphite spheres did not work well and finally wrecked the reactor. Lftr is a type of thorium molten salt reactor thmsr. Pacific northwest national laboratory molten salt reactor fundamentals youtube. Oak ridge national laboratory ornl took the lead in researching msrs through the 1960s. Mar 15, 2008 more on why we need the liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Update on the liquid fluoride thorium reactor projects in. The generation iv reactor designs are attempts to do just that. Courtesy flibe energy the lftr is sorensens own spin on weinbergs thorium breeder reactor work from the 1960s. Technology assessment of a molten salt reactor design the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr strayserpent 01. Operating conditions are logged, cloud hosted, and can be viewed online or downloaded as a.
Home reintroducing thorium the liquid fluoride thorium reactor. But does thorium really represent nuclear innovation. Thoriumiv fluoride th f 4 is an inorganic chemical compound. One, the fuel salt, holds the fissile fuel u233 that sustains the nuclear reaction. Several types of fuel cycles enable feasible, rapid reprocessing to extract protactinium. China enters race to develop nuclear energy from thorium. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr pronounced lifters was first developed in the 1950s by alvin weinberg at oak ridge national laboratory, us. Aim high thorium energy cheaper than from coal solves more. Msr, lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactor, radiation and online chemistry are topics matt lish discussed at oak ridge national labs molten salt reactor workshop ornl msrw. While the reactor can be used to consume any fissile material, it is particularly efficient using the thorium fuel cycle. Molten salt reactors are generation iv nuclear fission reactors that use molten salt as either the primary reactor coolant or as the fuel itself. A molten salt reactor msr is a class of nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear reactor coolant andor the fuel is a molten salt mixture. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr simply too dangerous thats why it was stopped. Although thorium is commonly associated with molten salt reactors, it can be used in any reactor.
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. Lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactor play all videos pertaining to thorium as an energy source via lftr liquid fluoride thorium reactor and other molten salt reactor designs. Feb 16, 2011 china enters race to develop nuclear energy from thorium scientists and private firms in china have embarked on a major new push to develop liquidfluoride thorium reactor technology video. Main purpose of the nuclear reactor is to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. It is generally considered inherently safer, cleaner and more economically viable than conventional reactors, but was not chosen by doe as the technology of choice. In a conventional pwr the fuel pellets contain uo 2 with fissile u235 content expensively enriched to 3.
If you are interested in lftr, consider joining facebooks. May 24, 2011 kirk gave a brief overview of molten salt reactors msr and specifically liquid fluoride thorium reactors lftr. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison. The lftr is an innovative design for a thermal breeder reactor that was developed from the 1950s through the 1970s at ornl oak ridge national laboratory in oak ridge, tennessee. With an appropriate reactor fuel combination, a molten salt reactor can even generate energy while producing no longlasting nuclear waste.
For space i think the conventional heu reactor is simple, power dense, and remains a good choice, at least until the fluoride salt system has a lot of ground service experience. This arrangement generally works best in a reactor type called an lftr pronounced lifter, a liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor wikipedia republished. It is fueled by the uranium233 isotope that is taken from the element thorium. Unlike natural uranium, natural thorium contains only trace amounts of fissile material such as 231 th. Wyoming lftr energy alliance a nonprofit association. Lftr updates recently include doe gain funding vouchers awarded in 2018 and 2019 to flibe energy. Thoriumbased nuclear power generation is fueled primarily by the nuclear fission of the isotope uranium233 produced from the fertile element thorium. Lftr liquid fueled thorium reactor a moltensalt reactor using thorium a lftr is a different kind of reactor. Rarick2 and rajmohan rangarajan3 cleveland state university, cleveland, ohio 44115 an overall system analysis approach is used to propose potential conceptual designs of. More on why we need the liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Aug 08, 2011 lftr has a complex radiological path, and all of it is running at molten fluoride temperatures. U233 is a superior nuclear fuel, producing enough neutrons through its fission. Thorium is weakly radioactive, has a high melting point, and is available with more abundance than uranium as an element.
A liquidfluoride thorium reactor lftr is the optimal approach for harvesting energy from thorium, and has the potential to solve todays. Molten salt reactors are a very different concept from our existing nuclear reactors. The lftr is unique, having a hot liquid core thus eliminating fuel fabrication costs and the. As fission occurs, heat and neutrons are released from the core and absorbed by the surrounding salt. The first fuel was a highenriched 33% u235 uranium dissolved as uf4 in a lifbef2zrf4 salt. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor indian defence forum. They melt down salts for fuel and then use that molten liquid to start the reaction that makes power. With an appropriate reactorfuel combination, a molten salt reactor can even generate energy while producing no longlasting. First new thorium salt reactor in 40 years comes online. Weve been mainly using the light water reactor, lwr, with solid fuel cooled by highpressure water. 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. Lftr or liquid fluoride thorium reactor is a safer, cleaner, and more efficient nuclear reactor.
An easyto download copy of this video for recycling purposes can be found at. Recent efforts to resurrect the thoriumfluoride reactor technology has focused on a new variant of the concept called the liquidfluoride thorium reactor lftr, pronounced lifter. Juhaszl nasa glenn research center, cleveland, ohio 445 richard a. A subreddit decitated to thorium as a future energy resource, and the liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Thorium is a naturallyoccuring mineral that holds large amounts of releasable nuclear energy, similar to uranium. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is a heterogeneous msr design which breeds its u233 fuel from a fertile blanket of lithiumberyllium fluoride flibe salts with thorium fluoride. 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.
May 02, 20 liquid fluoride thorium reactor are the latest big thing in nuclear power. In the reactor, 232 th is transmuted into the fissile artificial uranium isotope 233 u which is the nuclear fuel. Perhaps these technical problems can be overcome, but why would anyone bother to try, knowing in advance that the msr plant will be uneconomic due to huge construction costs and operating costs, plus will explode and rain radioactive molten salt when not if the steam generator tubes leak. Other articles where liquid fluoride thorium reactor is discussed. In a lftr, the reactor vessel contains two types of liquidfluoride salts. Unlike conventional light water reactor designs, the liquid. The hanzehogeschool is advised to continue research into this technology. Liquid fluoride thorium reactors tesla motors club. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor page 7 physics forums. To a limited group of technophiles and nuclear technology enthusiasts, thorium has become a unicorn. Our particular emphasis is on the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr.
In these, fuel is not cast into pellets, but is rather dissolved in a vat of liquid salt. The goal here is to present the basics of a lftr design and the inherent advantages and problems with such a design. This is because the liquidfluoride reactor can continuously reprocess its nuclear. About lftr liquid flouride thorium reactors lftr now. Such reactors do not require fuel rods, and interest in developing the technology has grown in the early 21st century.
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. It seemed like the liquid fluoride thorium reactor, or lftr, could be the power source that could make a selfsustainable lunar colony a reality. Successfully developing a liquidfluoride thorium reactor lftr would essentially solve our planets energy problems for thousands. High efficiency nuclear power plants using liquid fluoride. Heat from the reactor is transferred to another loop of molten salt not containing nuclear materials. Liquid fuel molten salt reactors for thorium utilization. Future is not looking good for thorium nuclear reactors. It has the largest proven thorium reserves and the worlds only operating thorium. The fuji molten salt reactor is a 100 to 200 mwe lftr, using technology similar to. Reaktorpleite erfahrungen mit dem pleitereaktor thtr 300 history of the german thtr hightemperature thorium reactor, a 300mwel experimental plant. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr public group facebook.
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. According to proponents, a thorium fuel cycle offers several potential advantages over a uranium fuel cycleincluding much greater abundance of thorium on earth, superior physical and nuclear fuel properties, and reduced. First, thorium232 and uranium233 are added to fluoride salts in the reactor core. Kirk sorensen, nuclear technologist of energy from thorium download or subscribe to this show at kiki. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor nuclear physics britannica. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor, no risk of loss of coolant accidents, no longterm nuclear waste can even consume waste from. Lftr is fluoride based liquid fuel, that use the thorium dissolved in salt mixture of lithium fluoride and beryllium fluoride. A liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is a type of molten salt reactor msr that can use inexpensive thorium for fuel thorium becomes. 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. The coolant is near atmospheric pressure, not extremelyhigh pressure. Thorium breeding, and liquid fission, we can transform the abundant resource which is thorium into pollutionfree energy. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor faq highlights from. The copenhagen atomics pumped molten salt loop comes complete with control software, which can be operated from a mobilephone app. 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 coolant is chemically stable, not an easily broken covalent bond. A liquidfluoride 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. 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. The thorium agendajapans nuclear disaster will spur new race for thorium reactors.
There are significant engineering hurdles for making a 700 c material that can handle fluence for a reactor. There is a great deal of useful information in this document. The thorium232 captures neutrons from the reactor core to become protactinium233, which decays 27day halflife to u233. Is thorium the fuel of the future to revitalize nuclear. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr has 3,414 members.
A thorium reactor is a form of nuclear energy, proposed for use as a molten salt reactor. As fission radioactive decay occurs, heat is released and free neutrons start changing more thorium into uranium233. Most common nuclear reactors are light water reactors lwr, that are based on the uranium fuel cycle and use an enriched uranium fuel 4% of u. Molten salt reactors incl liquid fluoride thorium reactor. 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. Hank addresses a highly requested topic liquid fluoride thorium reactors and tells us how lftr might be the future of energy in. One is aqueous reprocessing of thorium oxide blankets irradiated outside the core of a heavy water reactor.
Thorium is the third source of fission energy and the lftr is the idealized mechanism to turn this resource into electrical energy. First, i think he means electrolysis of water in order to produce hydrogen, and second the availability of electricity from any source would permit electrolysis, and at more or less any temperature you wished. This nuclear energy can be released in a special nuclear reactor designed to use thorium. Advantages of liquid fluoride thorium reactor in comparison with light water reactor aip, free pdf access. Andrew yang, an entrepreneur and democratic candidate for the 2020 presidential election, promises to make thorium molten salt reactors as part of his climate plan for achieving netzero emissions by 2050. Thorium power has a protactinium problem bulletin of the. Our vision therefore is a world based on a much greater sense of equality and we are convinced that this will be a safer and happier habitat for ourselves and for generations to come. High efficiency nuclear power plants using liquid fluoride thorium reactor technology albert j. The thorium fuel cycle is a nuclear fuel cycle that uses an isotope of thorium, 232 th, as the fertile material. It is a white hygroscopic powder which can be produced by reacting thorium with fluorine gas.
Current usage of thorium india is the market leader in trying to harness thorium for the energy grid. A molten salt reactor msr is a class of nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear. 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. With thorium, we are thus complementing our work with small wind power in providing universal electricity for communication and access to information. So once the thorium fuel cycle is started by adding fissile u 235, theoretically, no more fissile material will ever need to be added. Thorium reactor liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr. 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 thorium232, which is apparently an abundant heavy metal. We discussed yesterday why the lftr is a totally safe alternative not just for fossil fuels but also in relation to uraniumfueled lightwat. Introducing the liquid fluoride thorium reactor energy. Aug 08, 2011 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. Alternatively, sign the epetition on the hm government website. Copenhagen atomics 40l molten salt loop is now available. On page 9 it states that the high temperature of operation of the liquid fluoride thorium reactor enables electrolysis of hydrogen. I just read a story about them and it seems like they are way more efficient, produce less byproducts, and are much cheaper.
October 8, 2018, marks the fiftieth anniversary of the operation of the moltensalt reactor experiment msre using uranium233 as a fuel. 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. A liquidfluoride thorium reactor lftr is the optimal approach for harvesting energy from thorium, and has the potential to solve todays energyclimate crisis. Flibe energys concept for a liquidfluoride thorium reactor, or lftr. Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoridebased, molten, liquid salt for fuel. Oak ridge national laboratory ran molten salt thorium reactor experiments from the 1960s until 1976. Perhaps these technical problems can be overcome, but why would anyone bother to try, knowing in advance that the msr plant will be uneconomic due to huge construction costs and operating costs, plus will explode and rain radioactive molten salt when not if the steam. This paper will focus on the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr design, an implementation of one such gen iv idea, the molten salt reactor. It is a completely different nuclear reactor than we have been using, with molten fuel cooled by stable salts. Half of the time was spent fielding questions from the calgary students. Kirk sorensen shows us the liquid fuel thorium reactor a way to produce energy that is safer, cleaner and more efficient than current nuclear power. Much of their work culminated with the moltensalt reactor experiment msre. If you have not been tracking the latest thorium hype, you might be interested to learn that the benefits liquid fluoride.
Lftrs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoride based, molten, liquid salt for fuel. Liquid fluoride thorium reactor page 3 physics forums. In general, a nuclear reactor is a key device of nuclear power plants, nuclear research facilities or nuclear propelled ships. A slightly different type of msr can consume the uraniumplutonium waste from solidfueled reactors as fuel. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The major difference is that thorium is typically used in a reactor with no solid core, called a liquid flouride thorium reactor lftr for short. Thorium nuclear reactors lftrs produce intensely radioactive wastes. Sep 25, 2015 the liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr offers promise for the future.
Msrs offer multiple advantages over conventional nuclear power plants, although for historical reasons further explanation needed, they have not been deployed the concept was first established in the 1950s. Thorium and uranium233 are dissolved in molten lithium fluoride salt in the reactor. The liquid fluoride thorium reactor is a type of molten salt reactor. 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. New molten salt thorium reactor powers up for first time. Thorium reactors, though, use different fuels and a fundamentally different design. At the dawn of the nuclear industry, the united states manhattan project developed the atomic bomb, or real two models of atomic bombs, one using uranium 235 and one using plutonium 239. A liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr is the optimal approach for harvesting energy from thorium, and has the potential to solve todays energyclimate crisis. 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. In the article, they talked about how all the nuclear reactors are already run on uranium and they dont want. It was invented during the 1950s and 1960s in oak ridge labs, but was quickly abandoned since the nuclear reactions were found to be not good for bombmaking. 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.
Liquid fluoride thorium reactor lftr simply too dangerous. 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. This is a type of thorium molten salt reactor and is essentially a chemical plant. Dont forget the word thorium in your question next time and make sure you target nuclear energy with your next question on this subject.
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