Why thorium is not used in nuclear reactors?

Why thorium is not used in nuclear reactors?

Thorium cannot in itself power a reactor; unlike natural uranium, it does not contain enough fissile material to initiate a nuclear chain reaction. As a result it must first be bombarded with neutrons to produce the highly radioactive isotope uranium-233 – ‘so these are really U-233 reactors,’ says Karamoskos.

Why is thorium a bad idea?

Irradiated Thorium is more dangerously radioactive in the short term. The Th-U cycle invariably produces some U-232, which decays to Tl-208, which has a 2.6 MeV gamma ray decay mode. Bi-212 also causes problems. These gamma rays are very hard to shield, requiring more expensive spent fuel handling and/or reprocessing.

Do any power plants use thorium?

Between 1999 and 2021, the number of operational thorium reactors in the world has risen from zero, to a handful of research reactors, to commercial plans for producing full-scale thorium-based reactors for use as power plants on a national scale.

Why is thorium not fissile?

Unlike U235, thorium is not fissile. That means no matter how many thorium nuclei you pack together, they will not on their own start splitting apart and exploding. If you want to make thorium nuclei split apart, though, it’s easy: you simply start throwing neutrons at them.

Can you make a bomb with thorium?

False. A 2012 study funded by the National Nuclear Security Administration found that the byproducts of a thorium fuel cycle, in particular uranium 233, can potentially be attractive material for making nuclear weapons.

Can you make a nuclear bomb from thorium?

Thorium and nuclear weapons Neutron bombardment of thorium (indirectly) produces uranium-233, a fissile material which can be used in nuclear weapons (1 Significant Quantity of U-233 = 8kg). The USA has successfully tested weapon/s using uranium-233 cores.

What is safest nuclear power plant design?

Molten-salt reactors are considered to be relatively safe because the fuel is already dissolved in liquid and they operate at lower pressures than do conventional nuclear reactors, which reduces the risk of explosive meltdowns.

Can a thorium reactor meltdown?

Most importantly, meltdowns aren’t possible with thorium reactors because the reaction is not self-sustaining. That last safety advantage is also the main drawback of thorium. You need a little uranium and a neutron source to get the reaction kickstarted.

Why do we use uranium instead of thorium?

But the real reason we use uranium over thorium is a result of wartime politics. Cold War-era governments (including ours) backed uranium-based reactors because they produced plutonium — handy for making nuclear weapons.

Is there a current infrastructure to support thorium use?

1. There is no current infrastructure to support thorium use. In the United States, thorium research has been on the back burner for more than 30 years. No country in the world today has an approval agency that is ready to approve the current designs that are available for a thorium reactor.

Does a thorium reactor need uranium enrichment?

Although a standard thorium reactor is fueled uranium-233 isotope, there is no need for uranium enrichment with this technology. That means the malicious step to modify energy fuel into a nuclear weapon goes away with this technology.

What are the pros and cons of thorium-based nuclear power?

Thorium-based nuclear power. However, development of thorium power has significant start-up costs. Proponents also cite the lack of weaponization potential as an advantage of thorium, while critics say that development of breeder reactors in general (including thorium reactors, which are breeders by nature) increases proliferation concerns.

Is the thorium fuel cycle the future of nuclear energy?

The thorium fuel cycle offers enormous energy security benefits in the long-term—due to its potential for being a self-sustaining fuel without the need for fast neutron reactors. It is therefore an important and potentially viable technology that seems able to contribute to building credible, long-term nuclear energy scenarios.