Traditionally, nuclear power generation has always been associated with solid fuel reactors powered by uranium and plutonium. Another source exists, even though it has not been explored to its full potential. Liquid fueled reactors, powered by thorium, specifically its isotope Th-232, are alternatives to traditional forms of nuclear technology . Thorium is more abundant in nature than both of the usual sources of fission power, plutonium uranium. However, it has seen very little use despite the technology existing, and having been proven to work since 1968 in experiments carried out at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Investigation into this alternate nuclear power source has seen little consideration in the following decades, as orthodoxy believed that solid uranium and plutonium reactors were more efficient for various reasons. Proponents of thorium-based reactors claim their resistance to melt downs, reduced environmental impact, ability to slow nuclear weapons proliferation, and their general safety compared to traditional reactors. That is not to say they are without their flaws, but they do merit an investigation into …show more content…
It is though, a fertile material, meaning that it can be converted into an element capable of sustain that chain reaction with introduction of additional neutrons into the nucleus. This process is referred to as breeding. The change of the isotope in thorium drastically shortens the half-life, degrading into a series of intermediary elements that eventually reach Uranium-233. Because U-233 is fissile material, thorium can be used in a number of different reactor types through this method. One such reactor includes molten salt reactor that were developed and tested at Oak Ridge Laboratory in the 1960s. The molten salt reactor experiments involved using U-233 as a fuel