Why embracing next-generation nuclear technology could solve energy shortages, reduce CO2 emissions, and secure a brighter future for all.
Dr. Ajay Kothari
Thor Baby Thor. Drill Baby Drill needs to be supplanted with amazingly abundant energy from a source we already have in the country that by itself can provide electricity for us for more than 600 years – and much more safely than the present-day nuclear energy. Why are we not going the whole hog on it? This can be the Moon Shot for President Donald Trump and the second Trump administration.
The cost of energy has been primarily responsible for inflation. Suffice it to say that President Trump could solve both the inflation and energy independence issues simultaneously. With no heavy structures required, the cost of energy could be reduced by almost 50%.
“Nuke” became a four-letter word due to previous designs using Uranium 235 as solid fuel – a wrong reactor design pursued due to the need for Plutonium for nuclear bombs then, in the 1960s. We do not need them to the same extent. Energy is a much larger priority now. That was then, this is now. We are in a different predicament now, with energy-related priorities taking center stage. We need a rethink.
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Nuclear was touted as an incredible source of almost infinite energy for humanity in the ’50s.
Even in a controlled environment like nuclear reactors, the technology seemed dangerous due to the constant threat of explosion caused by the 200 to 300 atmospheres of pressure required to keep coolant water in liquid form. This necessitated extensive monitoring and double or triple redundancy systems, significantly increasing costs, as remains the case for most reactors worldwide, the majority of which are Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs).
This primarily caused the problems at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima. What if this threat could be eliminated? How about attacking each sore point one by one and finding ways to eliminate them? What are engineers and scientists for?
What if we could find a solution that does not need those high pressures? We have. More specifically, it is Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR) or the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR), the important denominator being Thorium dissolved in hot molten salt that is used not just as coolant, but also as the energy source simultaneously, which runs at almost sea-level pressure. Thorium leaves only 1% radioactive isotopes behind, unlike 95% for U235. And with no water source requirement, unlike the PWRs, they can be placed anywhere for Data Center needs, as Small Modular Reactors or even as Microreactors. What more do we want?
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Why can’t we conclude that the way we did it was wrong rather than the act of using nuclear energy? It is time now to implement it. Let engineers apply their expertise to design and implement it.
Thorium, Th232, is 500 times more abundant than U235 and offers a significantly different and better solution. It is no longer the nuclear technology of our grandfathers; it is vastly different. As a nation, we need to look into it.
The binding energy of the strong nuclear force offers almost a million times more energy per kilogram than the chemical energy released by fossil fuels, which is based on electron interactons. We were not able to take advantage of this potential so far. Now we can. With this solution, which offers energy 24×7, we do not need to rely on intermittent terrestrial solar or wind energy, where it could be an eyesore and destroyer of birds, we can solve our energy need problem for a thousand years with zero CO2 addition.
One ton of Thorium is roughly equivalent to 5 million barrels of oil. It will run a 2.6 thermal Gigawatt plant for one full year. With 50% efficiency incorporated for conversion, it will provide 1.3 GW of electric power. 600 to 800 such plants will provide all the electricity we need in this country, thus needing about a thousand tons of Thorium per year – without adding CO2 or other pollutants to the air. With US reserves at 595,000 tons of Thorium, we have enough to last us 600 years.
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This vision will solve the world’s energy problem a thousand times over with zero CO2 emissions during operation, and it may be the cheapest form of energy production for us. The time is now for us to take advantage of this technological marvel. It would not be fair to deny this opportunity to us and other countries seeking a sustainable future. One hopes this administration will pay attention to it and find a reasonable path for all of us. Soon.
A crucial solution would be for the political class to lead and for anti-nuclear sentiment to dissipate. It is time to acknowledge that opposition to nuclear energy is weakening our country and harming billions of people worldwide through pollution and energy shortages. President Trump has a significant opportunity to make us energy independent—and more. This initiative could be as transformative as a moonshot or a breakthrough cancer cure. That’s how important energy is going to be for the average Joe.
(Dr. Ajay Kothari is President and Founder of Astrox Corporation, an Aerospace R&D company located in suburban Washington, DC. His PhD and MS in Aerospace Engineering with a minor in Physics are from the University of Maryland, and BSc in Physics from Bombay University.)
1 Comment
What is missing from this article is that Thorium is not actually the nuclear fuel that powers molten salter reactors. The actual radioisotope is U-233, another radioactive isotope of uranium. Just as the U-238 isotope — which cannot be used as a fissionable fuel — is used to “breed” the plutonium used to build nuclear weapons, the thorium is bred to yield U-233 to serve as the actual reactor fuel. However, U-233 can also be used to build nuclear weapons and has been shown to be used for this purpose. Experimental weapons were tested in the 1950s using U-233.
There was a strong push to develop breeder reactors in the 1960s and 1970s. This was halted by President Ford due to concerns about nuclear weapon proliferation. The U-233 that is produced within the reactor can be recovered for use elsewhere, just as was done in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Also, there never has been a full demonstration of a thorium-fueled molten salt reactor that I am aware of. Parts were tested in the 1950s and 1960s. These proved extremely challenging from a safety perspective to test.