Month
MSR Article: "Salt of the earth"
I don’t think I’ve ever seen an article in the “popular media” on the topic of fluoride reactors, beyond the occasional one I’ve seen about MSRE remediation. Occasionally, there’s one about thorium and the promise that it shows as a nuclear fuel, but these articles practically never mention fluoride reactors. Even articles about the DOE Gen-4 program (of which the fluoride reactor is one of the concepts) scarcely ever mention it, except when they’re enumerating the six reactor concepts. Usually they concentrate on the Very-High Temperature Reactor or a sodium or lead-cooled fast breeder.
So imagine my surprise when I saw this article today:
The Engineer Online: Salt of the earth
They did pretty good on the technical details of the reactor concept–not perfect, but pretty good. I’ve submitted a comment to the article and encourage others to do so as well.
IEA: Current Energy 'Doomed to Failure'
IEA warns current energy system ‘doomed to failure’
“On current trends, we are on course for an expensive and dirty energy system that will go from crisis to crisis. It can mean more supply disruptions, meteorological disasters or both. This energy future is not only unsustainable, but it is doomed to failure.
“Governments can either accept such a future, or they can decide to come together to change course.”
“In practice, technological breakthroughs that change profoundly the way we produce and consume energy will almost certainly be required as well.”
The IEA urged that nuclear power should be part of the solution, despite opposition to the technology from environmental groups and scepticism among the public.
Yes, please consider nuclear energy as part of the solution! And before you throw up your hands at the issues of waste disposal, capital costs, safety, and fuel cycle, consider the advantages of the thorium-fueled liquid-fluoride reactor!
Selected Papers from Alvin Weinberg
In commemoration of Dr. Weinberg’s life and his contributions to the field of energy science, OSTI has posted a selected collection of some of his works in the energy field:
Alvin Weinberg: Exploring Profound Challenges to Mankind’s Future
All I can say after skimming some of these, is that Dr. Weinberg was looking at a REALLY big picture of mankind’s energy future!