The use of thorium for Nuclear Energy Zoboomafoo: Heyi Chen, Michael DePiero, Luke Gillan http://elmodenafrontline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/zoob-ready.jpg

Background on reactors Nuclear reactors run on a rare isotope of uranium (235) It creates energy by making the uranium react and produce heat, which heats water to steam which is used to turn turbines to produce energy The pleasure that the water needs to be under is what is dangerous. Thorium is safer because it is not being pressurized It is also safer because the fail safes for a thorium reactor do not require electricity https://whatisnuclear.com/img/nrc-pwr-opt.gif https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK367T7h6ZY

Overview - Relevantly: it produces more energy and less weapons and waste. - History : We have had this technology since the 1950s! - Research : Research needs to be conducted to make thorium reactors possible.  - Closing: Why are we not building thorium now if its so good! http://www.shockingscience.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/879/2015/12/pics9.jpg

Relevance The Zoboomafoo team chose this topic due to: - how its makes no sense that we are not making these reactors.  - Thorium is waiting to unleash its power to help power the world.    Thorium produces 1000 times (at least!) less waste  uranium!)    Thorium's waste only takes 500 years to cool as apposed to uranium's 10,000. - The planet is relevant to all of us therefore we should all seriously consider thorium as a power source.  https://www.extremetech.com/extreme/160131-thorium-nuclear-reactor-trial-begins-could-provide-cleaner-safer-almost-waste-free-energy

weaponization Unlike Uranium, Thorium does not produce plutonium of which is needed for a nuclear weaponization. Thorium is  not naturally fissile, so unlike Uranium it won't start splitting and exploding on it's own.  Thorium reactions are triggered by bombarding it with neutrons, and it can be stopped by stopping the bombardment making Thorium much safer.  Thorium also produces at least 1000 times less nuclear waster(sometimes as high as 10,000 times less) and it cools in within 500 years, which is 20x less then Uranium's waste.  All this together, extremely reduces any risk of weaponization of Thorium.

History Thorium has been considered to be a type of nuclear fuel as early as 1946 by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.  Thorium Tetrafluoride fuel was experimented with a molten salt reactor by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee in between 1964-1969.  https://info.ornl.gov/sites/sbpo/SiteCollectionImages/ORNL%20Two-line_color.jpg http://nuclear.inl.gov/gen4/i/msr-lg.jpg

History Tomorrow The newest experiments with Thorium fuel has been conducted using a small Advanced Fast Reactor. This inheritably safe 100MW AFR-100 reactor was developed under the US-DOE program that focuses on the idea of exchanging the uranium fuel in current nuclear reactors with Thorium based fuel http://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/styles/borealis_default_hero_respondlarge/public/AFR%20100.png?itok=nT7MgDLm

Future Research The biggest challenges includes unproven compatibility with liquid cored reactor (most common type of reactors), and unproven fuel recycling program. Thus Thorium adaptation and disposal program needs further research. In order to utilities Thorium fuel, it is most likely for solid cored reactors to be constructed due to proved reliability. http://www.the-weinberg-foundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Supercritical-Water-Cooled_Reactor.svg_.png

Closing Thorium has much less danger risks compared to Uranium It is around 3 times more abundant then Uranium More Efficient At least 10x less nuclear waste compared to Uranium Cools within 500 years(compared to Uranium's 10,000) Despite most nuclear reactors being not able to handle Thorium, we recommend that they either be modified or built. All new Nuclear reactors surely should be built for Thorium.

Source Heidet, F. et al. “Feasibility Study on AFR-100 Fuel Conversion from Uranium-Based Fuel to            Thorium-Based Fuel.” 30 June 2012, SciTech Connect, doi:10.2172/1047454. Van Gosen, Bradley S et al. “Thorium Deposits of the United States— Energy Resources for            the  Future?” Thorium Deposits of the United States— Energy Resources for the Future?,          4 May 2009, http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/lps112189/c1336.pdf. Bjork, Klara Insulander. "Comparison of Thorium-based Fuels with Different Fissile Components in   Existing Boiling Water Reactors." Science Direct. Elsevier, Aug. 2011. Web. 28 Sept. 2016. <http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.lib.ohio- state.edu/science/article/pii/S0149197010000570>. Anantharaman, K. "Utilization of Thorium in Reactors." ScienceDirect. Elsevier, 15 Dec. 2008. Web. 28 Sept. 2016. <http://www.sciencedirect.com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/science/article/pii/S0022311508004856>.  Bagla, Pallava. "Thorium Seen as Nuclear's New Frontier." Science. AAAS, 13 Nov. 2015. Web. 28 Sept. 2016.  Katusa, Marin. "The Thing About Thorium: Why The Better Nuclear Fuel May Not Get A Chance." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 01 Nov. 2016. . 

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