Nuclear physicists describe the propensity of a nuclide to absorb a neutron in terms of a very small area, called a “barn”. A barn is a trillionth of a trillionth of a square centimeter (10-24 cm2). Now imagine if we could inflate the size of a couple of nuclides, brothers actually, by a factor of […]
Okay, before we get into the techniques of enrichment, let’s spend a little time with the fun part—the numbers! How much does it take and how much does it cost? Here’s where I’ve really enjoyed learning more lately. The basic equations that describe enrichment aren’t that hard to derive. Even I can do it! So […]
“Enrichment” or more particularly “uranium enrichment” is probably one of those phrases that the average person hears on television or reads on the Internet and has only the vaguest concept of what it means. They likely think “it’s bad” and “it has something to do with uranium, which I think is bad, for some reason”. […]
I had an idea today–since U-233 represents something like a “catalyst” for the prolonged consumption of thorium in a LFTR, and since a LFTR can be built that has a unity conversion ratio (makes as much U-233 as it consumes), then perhaps a nation that developed a large supply of U-233 could “rent” it to […]
Here’s the talk I will be giving this morning at the Thorium Energy Alliance Conference: As we have for most of human history, we stand at the edge of an energy crisis. The methods by which we have powered our society have come to a limit, and a change is necessary. Seven hundred years ago […]
A number of people are writing to their elected officials and others, asking them to preserve the precious U-233 inventory of the United States from permanent destruction at an absurd cost of $477 million dollars. This letter will be sent to Secretary Chu by one of our regular commenters “arcs_n_sparks”, who addressed some specific concerns […]
The latest news about the destruction of the precious uranium-233 at ORNL is that the price tag continues to go up: U-233 project in flux; pricetag’s on the rise The latest project estimate is $477 million. That includes the contractor’s “interim project baseline” (of $404 million), plus $73 million of DOE-held contingency, etc. The Oak […]
Regular readers of this blog know that saving the uranium-233 is a very high priority of our small but enthusiastic thorium community. For those who are new, please read some or all of these posts: EfT Blog: Why Should We Save the Uranium-233? EfT Blog: Save the Uranium-233! EfT Forum: Save the Uranium-233!Saving this precious […]
I have appealed many times on this blog to our public leaders to save the precious resource that is uranium-233. I have explained in an earlier blog post why the uranium-233, if used in a liquid-fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR) represents “unlimited” energy, because it can “catalyze” the consumption of abundant natural thorium and the inventory […]
The Department of Energy has been engaged in a terrible effort to destroy–permanently–what might be the most precious substance on Earth: Uranium-233. Why is uranium-233 so precious? Because in a liquid-fluoride thorium reactor, U-233 represents essentially unlimited energy. How can that be so? Because in a LFTR, U-233 “catalyses” the consumption of thorium, which is […]