Thermoelectric generators powered by the decay of plutonium-238 literally opened up the exploration of the solar system to the United States. Pioneer 10 and 11 were the first probes to Jupiter and Saturn. Both were powered by American RTGs. Viking 1 and 2 landed on Mars, and survived several years to tell the tale, due […]
Flibe Energy’s approach to sustainable nuclear energy is a liquid-fluoride reactor that runs on the thorium fuel cycle. Our design builds upon the technologies that were demonstrated and proven during the early days of nuclear development. To better understand the validity of our approach, we will look at the history of these early nuclear programs […]
This spring I completed a master’s thesis at the University of Tennessee on the history of thorium research during the Manhattan Project. The thesis ran 476 pages, most of which was primary-source appendices — Seaborg’s Met Lab history volumes, the MUC-LAO meeting notes from April and May 1944, the Wigner-Young paper of May 1945, and […]
Several people who have recently learned about thorium have contacted me with regards to a “fact sheet” about thorium issued by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER) and Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) called “Thorium Fuel: No Panacea for Nuclear Power.” The authors of this sheet were Arjun Makhijani and Michele Boyd. Last […]
When talking to folks about thorium, I often mention as one of the basic advantages the fact that you can “burn” thorium in a thermal spectrum reactor, and don’t need a fast spectrum reactor. Which usually elicits the question, “What the heck is a “thermal spectrum reactor” and why should I care that you can […]