THORIUM
SUSTAINABLE and ABUNDANT ENERGY!
Nuclear Energy without the Waste!
Walk away Safe
Nuclear Power
Without the Waste
LFTR does not use water as a coolant. Because a LFTR does not use water as a
In the last several years, MSRs Molten Salt Reactors have been the subject of renewed interest. Unlike Solid-fueled reactors, Liquid-fueled reactors have unique capabilities in terms of burning actinides (spent nuclear fuel) and thus offers the potential to reduce the long-term radiotoxicity of the waste from the production of electricity. MSRs offer many advantages, not least of which, is the capability to almost completely consume its fuel source and to leave little to no waste behind. MSRs were first developed in the late 1940s and the 1950s in the United tor Experiment (ARE) demonstrated high-temperature operafor a circulating fluoride molten salt system.
to develop a breeder reactor. The Molten Salt Reactor Experiment (MSRE), demonstrated many of the features required for a power generating reactor. The MSRE successfully operated for 13,000 equivalent fullpower hours between 1965 and 1968. A detailed 1000-MW (e) engineering conceptual design
LWR design has a very large containment building. This is to accommodate the large volume of steam that would result if an accident were to occur and there was a break
THORIUM
can consume
tion at 860°C and established benchmarks in performance
ARE was followed in the 1960s by a program
than today’s modern LWRs. The modern
LFTR
States for military jet aircraft propulsion. In 1954, the Aircraft Reac-
While a nuclear aircraft was never deployed, the
coolant its design can be much smaller
SAMPLE TEXT PLACED HERE SO IT CAN BE LEGIBLE
our Nuclear Waste stockpiles and convert them Mus inverspes eliquis into electricity. produces little maiostior autLFTR et eveliatur, quid waste of itsuntum, own and that waste quam, officianiti isvernat valuable od in quiindustry omni-
of a molten salt breeder reactor was developed. These programs
andhil foreratqui research projects
in the pressure vessel or piping. The water held in the reactor at 100+ atmospheres of
A LFTR Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor is a MSR that uses the cheap and abundant element Thorium as its primary feedstock.
pressure flash to steam and expand its volume 1,000 fold. In a LFTR, the fluoride salts remain liquid at temperatures up to o
o
1400 C (over 2500 F) at atmospheric pressure. There is no fluid held under pressure that can rapidly change state from liquid
LFTR uses a passive emergency core
to gas. As a result, containment buildings
cooling system that is walk away safe
can be smaller and more close fitting.
and needs no human intervention.If the pansion causes core salt to be pushed
LFTR can be placed anywhere.
out of the core reducing its reactivity
Currently, LWR reactors need to be placed
thus reducing the rate of thermal energy
near large bodies of water. Since LFTR
generation allowing the fuel salt tem-
uses no water it can be place virtually any-
perature to drop. Additionally, there are
where there is stable earth.
LFTR fuel salt overheats, its thermal ex-
freeze plugs that open upon overheating. When these open the core salt is drained
Water Free electricity !
into drain tanks where fission stops and
By not using water, and the reactor oper-
the decay heat generated by the fission
ating at atmospheric pressure, there is no
Metal Fast Breeder Reactor (LMFBR) concept. Despite the enormous amounts of
products is passively dissipated.
This
chance of a gas or vapor cloud of radioac-
dollars spent, the LMFBR concept has meet with little success to date. Unfortunately,
provides a very high level of safety. No
tive material being formed in the event of
the United States never elected to investigate previous promising technologies
powered backup systems are required as
an accident. Everything is contained within
the law of physics dictates a shut down of
the walls of the facility.
of the1950s and 1960s demonstrated the technical viability of these concepts. The MSR program was canceled when the United States decided to concentrate its breeder reactor development program on a the Liquid
a LFTR if anything were to go wrong New technology 2
New technology 3
LFTR cures
Alpha Particle Therapy Cancer is one of the worst diseases that plagues mankind. While we have made tremendous strides in treating this disease, there are still many types of cancer that are death sentences. Most Chemotherapy cancer treatments use a “Beta” emmitting radioisotope to kill cancerous tumors. The drawback of using a “Beta” emmitter is that a beta particle typically travels several centimeters before it kills a cell.
The World has a Shortage of Molybdenum 99. Molybdenum 99 is used in thousands of diagnostic tests that allow doctors to accurately diagnose physical ailments. We are not making any new nuclear reactors that produce Molybdenum 99 and we are about to shut down one of the largest producers of Molybdenum 99 in North America.
This results in the death of a lot of the surrounding tissue that is healthy. Using an alpha emitter, such a Actinium 225, is highly beneficial to the patient as Alpha Particles typically travel only one or two cell widths before killing a cell. This makes it possible for Alpha Particle immunotherapy to be much better focused to just kill the cancer cells. This allows physicians and oncologists to treat previously untreatable forms of cancer. Today there is a very small supply of Actinium 225 that is harvested
from
Costs of Healthcare
Uranium
The rising cost of healthcare should be
233 that was produced
a concern to everyone. One of the ways
in some experimental nuclear
to eliminate costs is to make a proper
reactors that were shutdown in
diagnosis. One Contributing Factor to
the 1970’s. This Uranium 233 supply is
high diagnostic costs is the scarcity of
better diagnosis’ but less trips
slated for destruction by the Department
nuclear isotopes needed for diagnostic
made to the doctor or hospi-
of Energy. LFTR can produce Actinimum 225
processes. If each county or large mu-
tal because a proper diagnosis was
in its normal course of operation and harvest the
nicipality in America had a LFTR then
made initially, eliminating multiple
needed radioisotopes cheaply and efficiently. LFTR can
the cost of nuclear pharmaceuticals
visits to the hospital. Overall, LFTR has
provide hope to thousands of Cancer patients that have been
and nuclear based diagnostics would
the potential to radically reduce medi-
given a death sentence. LFTR development and its radioisotopes
significantly drop in price. Not only
cal costs, and to save millions of lives
would we see more patients saved by New technology 4
New technology 5
Our new
management team William Thesling Phd. Executive chairman DR. WILLIAM H. THESLING Holds a Doctorate in Electrical Engineering from Cleveland State University, where he performed research for NASA and the Ohio Aerospace Institute. Co-founder of TS Engineering, a technology company providing controls equipment. Leads advanced development efforts for Viasat Inc.
Donald Larson Executive Director Don is the CEO at My Cash Position a Software as Service provider delivering Financial Management Solutions to firms without a full time CFO office. Don Larson has spent over 15 years of in information technology, engineering, and sales. His experience includes serving in the roles of CIO, General Manager, VP Sales, Chief Engineer
Kirk Sorensen Chief Technologist
The Energy
From Thorium Foundation was
Kirk Sorensen is founder of Flibe Energy and is an advocate for nuclear energy based
formed with a primary mission to facilitate the development of a
on Thorium and liquid-fluoride fuels. He has helped grow an online community of
LFTR through a grassroots education intiative. The Foun-
thousands who support a renewed effort to develop thorium as an energy source.
dation ‘s management team believes that the
He is a 1999 graduate of Georgia Tech in aerospace engineering and is also a gradu-
development of a LFTR has the greatest
ate student in nuclear engineering at the University of Tennessee. He has spoken
potential to change the world for
publicly on thorium at the Manchester International Forum in 2009, at NASA’s Green
the better.
Energy Forum in 2008, and in several TechTalks at Google.
New technology 6
New technology 7
Permanent Energy solutions
LFTR can not only produce electricity at half the price of coal, it can do so more efficiently and environmentally friendly than what coal can. That does not mean that it makes coal obsolete. LFTR can affordably transform coal into synthetic transportation fuels. Thorium, unlike uranium, is cheap, easy to find, abundant and requires no enrichment t be usable in a reactor. Because of these properties, thorium can produce electricity more affordably than any other
When America imports oil, it results in money going to other countries. Some of these countries don’t have our best interest at heart. When America no longer needs to import oil, the world becomes a safer place.
energy source on theplanet. Coal is very plentiful but is not a dense energy source. It takes a pound of thorium to produce the Same Amount of Energy as 1,000 tons of Coal.
Using LFTRs to convert domestic coal into transportation fuels can establish US energy independence. This in turn can reduce the potential of war which adds to the true cost of oil. This cost is significant and is not reflected in the price at the pump. Add in our military costs to deliver oil and you can see why coal conversion is so enticing.
Coal Derived Fuel Using Coal to produce transportation fuel is not a new idea. The Germans developed this technology in WWII to supply their transportation needs. Today China, India, and South Africa all have robust coal to liquid fuel facilities.
Transition Fuels LFTR has the process heat necessary to more economically harvest America’s proven shale oil reserves. Shale Oil, Coal, and Natural Gas can all act as transition fuels in a LFTR economy. By transitioning fuels that generate electricity to providing transportation, the country gains economically and politically
Similar to transforming coal to liquid
How LFTR helps.
Future Generations of LFTR
fuels, LFTRs can power the conversion
Transforming coal into transportation fuel is a complicated process but the
There are more technological hurdles to overcome to make a LFTR that will be a
of natural gas to Methanol. Methanol
three major cost centers of the process are heat, pressure, and a catalyst. LFTR pro-
final solution to man’s energy needs. These hurdles are very solvable problems
can be used as a substitute for gaso-
duces enough process heat and enough cheap electricity to drive the pumps that
and a second generation LFTR is probably 20 to 40 years down the road after the
line with only minor modifications to
produce the pressure needed to cheaply and efficiently transform our coal into syn-
first LFTR goes online. A second generation LFTR would use the CO2 in our atmo-
our cars.
thetic gasoline and diesel fuel.
sphere to produce Carbon Neutral synthetic transportation fuels.
New technology 8
New technology 9
Enhance
lifes quality America has one of the highest standards of living by almost all measures than any other country in the world. That standard of living is based upon affordable energy. The higher costs are for energy the worse off a country’s standard of living is. Since Thorium is so abundant around the world and is rela-
LFTR makes
tively easy to acquire this means the development of LFTR will not just affect already energy rich countries but will significantly improve the living condi-
economic sense There a number of reasons why LFTR will become a reality. Will America be a world leader in LFTR technology?
tions of third world nations as well. This means a much more livable world free from the negative ramifications of
The Thorium fuel cycle and LFTR re-
coal, natural gas, and traditional nu-
the finish line at full speed. Toward
producing energy to enhace human liv-
actor are technologies that the Ameri-
clear technologies as a primary pro-
a Thorium based fuel economy.
ing conditions. Owing to the rich and
can taxpayer paid for in the 1950’s and
vider of electricity in a free market.
America’s research and devel-
successful efforts performed at Oak
1960’s at the cost of about a billion
It only makes sense to use our re-
opment has centered pri-
Ridge National Labs, we strongly be-
dollars. The proof of concept research
sources that once provided electricity
marily on developing
lieve that LFTR technology will com-
and development work has already
to directly power our modes of trans-
renewable
pete very favorably with any existing or
been accomplished.
portation.
gies such as wind
foreseeable new energy technology in a
and
free market.
ener-
solar.
Can
Private industry, with a
LFTRs can be made in a small modu-
Cheap electricity and readily available
America afford to not
change in America’s regulatory environ-
lar fashion, small enough to fit onto a
cheap transportation fuels would
develop LFTR?
ment, can build LFTR with little need for
semi truck trailer and shipped
have a dramatic effect on the world’s
government intervention or taxpayer
to the power generation site. Because
economy and greatly benefit the
funds.
LFTRs can produce electricity at such
country that produces LFTR first.
a low cost, they will naturally displace
China, and India are racing towards
New technology 10
America, We can Build This! New technology 11
Energy From Thorium Foundation 1441 W 57Th ST Apt 5 Cleveland, OH 44102 Phone: (216) 274-1091 eMail: dlarson@th90.org Web: www.th90.org