Comments by "Neolithic Transit Revolution" (@neolithictransitrevolution427) on "What I've Learned"
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@erickim1739 Thorium reactors are nuclear reactors. Nuclear reactors use fission (the break up of atoms) to produce energy. A fissionable (naturally decaying and prone to break up when hit with a neutron) material is placed in a particular shape called a critical mass. Normally these atoms would slowly break up over time, but in a critical mass one atom breaking naturally will release a neutron, which will hit another atom and cause it to break, and lead to a chain reaction.
Most reactors now use Uranium 238 and 235 (different isotopes based on number of neutrons). 235 is fissionable, 238 is not (it is fertile). weapons grade or enriched refers to the ratio, the higher the 238 the "better". In a reactor, some of the neutrons will hit the 238, which causes it to become Plutonium, which is fissionable and takes part in the reaction. Thats what fertile means, that it can be turned into a fissile fuel.
Thorium is fertile, so non-radioactove. But in a Thorium reactor, some fissile material is included (plutonium) that causes thorium to become Uranium 233, a fissile material.
Honestly Thorium is a very "Hype" technology, it offers very few advancement to Uranium, and some new difficulties. The big thing is most thorium reactors are also Molten salt reactors (changes the way the reactor is cooled and the critical mass is controlled) which offer a wide range of advantages.
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