Notes: Thorium Reactor

1. Uses
   • desalinization
   • electricity
2. Liquid Salt Thorium is much safer
   • passive safety with fluid fuel and low pressures
   • can drain to a passive cooling area in case of problem
3. More flexible
   • high temp operation offer high conversion efficiency
   • air cooling offers sitting away from water bodies
4. Less costly
   • low fuel preparation cost, no fabrication costs
   • excellent chemistry match with thoirum/uranium fuel cycle
   • salts are chemically stable and impervious to radiation damage; offering unlimited fuel burnup and continuous solvent recycling
   • U233 fissile fuel highly unsuitable for weapons diversion, readily downblended with depleted uranium in an emergency
5. Challenges
   • salts aggressive to metals and other structural materials
   • high-temp operation presents design challenges
   • tech base largely stagnated for 40 yrs
   • very different from current water-cooled uranium-fueled reactors, not yet understood by regulators

Also, be sure to check out YouTube for longer videos which make these, and other, points.