Energy From Thorium Discussion Forum

The US has 281 lawyers per 100,000 people, France has 33, Japan 7. I would imagine the lawyer to engineer ratio in China is also pretty low. http://www.tentmaker.org/Quotes/lawyers-per-capita.html

From the article:


I agree. Nuclear power cannot and will not become the CO2 free energy source we are looking for unless someone, somewhere, can prove that new nuclear power plants can be built on time and on budget. There's something of a catch-22 in this, we won't know how to build a reactor on time and budget until we learn how to NOT build a reactor on time and on budget. Someone is going to have to be the example of failure. Getting funding for a project where the chances of failure is high is always difficult, and the chances of failure won't go down until people try and fail. Success breeds success, so I wish that these projects succeed.

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Disclaimer: I am an engineer but not a nuclear engineer, mechanical engineer, chemical engineer, or industrial engineer. My education included electrical, computer, and software engineering.

Contractor wasted millions on unnecessary supplies for S.C.'s failed nuclear reactors

Here's why:

Toshiba have to look after their corporate problems but nuclear power is important for the world. Fortunately there are others to carry the flag when North America and Western Europe are exhausted. So is Japan.

Reactor building has become an unprofitable business for many. Only China at home and Russians all over seem to be surviving. India keeps on trying at home.
It has joined road building as an infrastructure activity. Only governments can make it possible.

Toshiba has the patents on the alloys in the Allam Cycle one-tenth scale turbine being tested at the ExTex site in La Porte by Houston—as far as I know. If all goes well, and they get the 500 MWth production model selling, AND carbon oxidation energy producers can profitably use all the CO2 coming off, Toshiba needs to be free and clear of the solid-phase uranium water reactor businesses—perhaps.

I am marginally qualified to judge any of this—maybe. I write here in awe of the engineering talent on your forum, Kirk. Thanks to you and the more worthy for the invitation to comment and participate.

The first MSR to begin supplying power to the grid will change attitudes to the urgency of lawmakers to bump up the nuclear materials laws to allow for NPPs to use highly-enriched quantities of fissionable isotopes in molten salts. How can it be anything else? The LWR has had its time and MSR will show its superiority if put into operation—the Oak Ridge MSRE was an indisputable success. Dr. Weinberg's plan is as sound as it ever was. Partisan bickering is holding up the show. Get energy tech right, and it's then possible for a more robust economic growth to not have such an immense global environmental impact. To have more economic growth without grave environmental impact makes all the economies richer and grows global prosperity, that reduces the incentives to war.

Evidently, Terrestrial's IMSR is due to be licensed and built. That can't happen soon enough. But watch Toshiba's new turbine. North Dakota is planning on adding the Allam Cycle to their lignite energy operations I guess partnering with Minnesota. If it works, they want to frack the Bakken with the CO2—as far as I know. Fine for more oil.

Doing carbon right requires an immense amount of energy at the nuclear level. ITER may lead to this level of power eventually. But MSR tech is available NOW! It's the kind of make-up power that changes everything—especially carbon, that is a real bugger without question. Toshiba would agree. I've always liked Westinghouse. This item is discouraging on Vogtle 3 & 4 AP1000s:

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"Those who say it can’t be done are usually interrupted by others doing it."

—James Arthur Baldwin, American novelist, essayist, playwright, poet, and social critic

Allam cycle seems to be a clever combination of gas turbine and steam cycle. How do they deal with particle matter in case of coal? Sulphur is also a complication.
I am sure a similar combination can be worked out in case of high temperature reactors including fast reactors or molten salt reactors. Toshiba could deal in the ‘Rest of the plant’ after it gives up reactors.