*** Science Friday has pro and con on Thorium as Nuclear fuel

This afternoon (May 4, 2012) SDPB radio had on Science Friday with Ira Flatow.  One of the topics discussed was thorium as a nuclear power source.  You will notice links there to the program protagonists on the issue--- Richard Martin and Arjun Makhijani.

I assume the primary impetus for the program today was the new book by Richard Martin titled "SuperFuel: Thorium, The Green Energy Source at Amazon Books..." 

Opposition to the idea of Thorium as an ideal fuel came from Arjun Makhijani of The Institute for Energy and Environmental Research 

The program this afternoon gave the impression at least that the IEER organization opposes all nuclear energy.  I may be wrong about that however.  One of their pdf publications does specifically address the issue as Thorium No Panacea orIdeal Fuel         

I have been interested in this issue for sometime.  I may have heard about it first on another Science Friday a couple years ago or read it in WIRED Magazine.  Such an article is  Uranium is So Last Century.    

It may be that Thorium is not an ideal fuel, but then the question becomes "Is there actually any "ideal" fuel?"  Wind and solar might fit into an ideal category, but getting enough of that going is not all that simple and might take significant time. Super-insulated energy efficient building is something significant as well and that can be done starting tomorrow.  We hear "jobs, jobs" noise from both parties.  New super-insulated housing and retrofitting could get the construction industry going again and also solve part of our energy problem and also in the process put a dent in global warming consequent to human economic behavior.

Anyway, these links offer some information that I think is well worth your time.  We need to make our real "war" effort the complete separation of the US from foreign fossil fuels. Thorium power may not be ideal, but it may be the best interim solution. I will put some more information together on that idea with more detail.  I have ordered the book by Richard Martin, but it will not arrive for a week or two.

Our political critters need to stop licking the butts of bucaneer bankers and bunco brokers and get truly serious about serious issues that have consequences for everyday people even if they don't directly benefit the plutocrats and the 0.01 percent of our population so very, very rich that their wives might be wearing $990 TeeShirts.       

*** Stay tuned ..you can know more even if your tee shirts never cost more than $9.90 including tax--- Doug Wiken

 

 

 

Comments

[Eric Robinson]

Thorium Fuel: No Panacea for Nuclear Power(oh really?),By Arjun Makhijani and Michele Boyd
Are these guys oblivious? They didn't even mention the LFTR (liquid fluoride thorium reactor) Developed at ORNL in the 60's by Alvin Weinberg, it reduces all the problems they mentioned and is way better than LWRs our current reactors. The LFTR is compact inexpensive ($.03/kw vs coal at $.55/kw and Th is abundant. Enough for 10,000 years of until we figure out fusion. These guys are physicians and they are going to relegate the 3rd world to living in squalor without enough energy to provide for the basics of light, food and health care. Thanks doc as long as youv'e got yours everything is ok, right?

[[Note from Doug Wiken: Thanks for the comment. I agree with you and have been beating the LFTR drum for a couple years. (See SD Science Junction Blog). Recently PBS has had a series on aviation from Wright Bros. to the Moon or some such. The war years with Donald Douglas, Dutch Kindleberger, Boeing, etc was fascinating in that it showed what could be done with government support. Two or three years to produce something like 90,000 war planes. We need national will and science to get completely away from fossil fuels in 5 years or so. It can be done if people decide to get politicians with some courage, science knowledge, and brains. ]]]]

[Eric Robinson]

Good point Doug.
The "No Pancea" folks totally miss the point. LFTR is not perfect although its issues are tractable mostly it sure beats the heck out of
1)LWR our current reactor design's tendancy to blow up or melt down.
2)Global warming or global mercury contamination from coal
3)Endless wars for oil and eventual water wars
4)A meager life of misery in the Third World
5)Low density intermittent energy resources like wind and solar
6)Being at the mercy of the current slate energy pirates

What freed the slaves was actually the internal combustion engine making slaves obsolete, likewise Thorium can free us from the current energy hostage situation.