Kirk Sorensen - A Global Alternative (thorium energy via LFTR) @ TEAC4

http://thoriumremix.com/ Kirk Sorensen for harnessing the power of the atom using Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors (LFTR).

LFTR offers greater efficiency and safety over today's operating reactors, and even proposed light water / boiling water reactors. LFTR also provides spare processes heat and valuable isotopes as a byproduct of normal operation, something today's reactors can not, due to their low operating temperature.

Topics emphasized by Kirk at TEAC4:

- Economic and political situation of medical isotope production and applications.

- Use as a reliable energy production method of US military bases explained in their jargon.

- Desalination enabled by the high temperatures possible when using ionic salts instead of covalently bonded molecules to transfer heat.

Kirk Sorensen's talk was one of many at Thorium Energy Alliance Conference #4 in Chicago.

Kirk Sorensen is working on LFTR development at Flibe Energy: http://Flibe-Energy.com

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Joseph Krane]

"we live a life style that no people in history have even approached"

REALLY???

Well that depends on what values that life style expouses.

If one values Greed, waste, decadence, destruction of heritage and eco systems etc etc, then perhaps you need to re-evaluate HOW you assess this life style of yours?

Here we see an example of a corporate clown who stands to profit from a Thorium reactor being built somewhere in the USA (at tax paeys expense of course).

THe Sun is staring at you!

[gordonmcdowell]

Joseph, this is the different perspective take on energy consumption. We use a great deal of stored energy (per capita and in total) compared to our ancestors. So if you want to mitigate our impact on the planet, we can consume less energy, consume it more efficiently, or consume CLEANER energy.

By pursuing CLEANER advances can be applied to emerging countries too... YOU use less energy? Great. But you are just you. India & China's middle class won't care, it is their turn for quality of life.

[Justavian]

I've seen him discuss this topic dozens of times, and i'm enamored with the idea that we could start heading in that direction. However, i'd like to see some kind of debate between Kirk and some of his detractors. I've seen lots of people mentioning the stumbling blocks - incredibly corrosive liquids, insufficient materials research for the reactor - Kirk doesn't address these things in detail. I want to believe Thorium is the godsend he says, but i'm worried we're glossing over something...

[gordonmcdowell]

We have some video dialog pertaining to corrosion, so as I'm working thru materials in chronological order eventually that will get posted. But I don't have any debate between Kirk and a (say) Rod Adams type person who's more keen on LWR (in fact Rod is keen on LFTR but thinks LWR is being maligned unfairly). I hope that can happen some day.

What's looking challenging is getting an anti-nuke to talk to Kirk. Anti-vs-Nuke debates do happen, but so far it has been out of my reach.

[qwertzu3]

at 13:13 he says the current modell they are working contains Uranium 233 as a salt. I thought it would run on Thorium salts? I dont understand ...

[gordonmcdowell]

16:46 probably explains that best, in the slide you see Thorium-233 decays to Uranium-233 so the solution will contain both... Thorium-233 is added as fuel but it is Uranium-233 which fissions.

[MrDisavowed]

Have you tried Smarter Money Maker? (look for it on google) It is a fast way to make extra cash quicker

[Brian Brown]

HUH...this is way better and less intrusive to just about everything and it lets us all live like royalty!

[youubar]

I'm not a huge fan of the graphite moderator, or the complexity of the salt recycle / electrolyzer circuit inside the containment. I still prefer the TerraPower design, but I support Flibe too.

[Tetrodioxide]

exactly! well-said. and a great movie btw.

[pyrrho314]

I'm sold.

[OtakuBozu]

you mean that Thorium-232 is added, right?

[fireofenergy]

"Solar wont do the job, neither will wind, tidal power and geothermal are the only reliable renewables".

Wrong! Solar and wind are the ONLY diffuse sources that could even rival FF's, given MACHINE AUTOMATION. Tidal and wave are just like biofuels, good for backyard projects but not good for sustaining 10 billion people at high standards. Solar is 50x "denser" than biofuels. It can be stored using molten metals and salt.

Geo is like fusion, still fiction.

I know LFTR is a million x better!

[Alex1SUN]

Doesn't sound like Flibe will attract any investors.

This all sounds good, but I really doubt it will get any funding. Too much engineering required for new technology, too much fear associated with conventional nuclear industry, let alone new untested stuff. I am sure USA will not support this effort.

I hope Chinese will be able to get LFTR online, but they also say that they have severe budget constraints.