Sage-Tips

How small can a nuclear reactor be made?

Originally Answered: What is the smallest nuclear reactor built? Nuclear Batteries or “betavoltaics” can be almost arbitrarily small. These devices produce nanowatts to microwatts of power for 20 to 50 years, and measure millimeters on a side.

How much power can a thorium reactor produce?

300 MWe
The reactor will operate with a power of 300 MWe using thorium-plutonium or thorium-U-233 seed fuel in mixed oxide form. It is heavy water moderated (& light water cooled) and will eventually be capable of self-sustaining U-233 production.

Is there enough thorium to power the world?

The Thorium Energy Alliance estimates “there is enough thorium in the United States alone to power the country at its current energy level for over 1,000 years.” “America has buried tons as a by-product of rare earth metals mining”, notes Evans-Pritchard.

What is the smallest possible size of a thorium reactor?

The smallest true Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor would most likely have a spherical core about 1 meter in diameter and produce around 1 MWt of power when operating.

What are the pros and cons of thorium-based nuclear power?

Thorium-based nuclear power. However, development of thorium power has significant start-up costs. Proponents also cite the lack of weaponization potential as an advantage of thorium, while critics say that development of breeder reactors in general (including thorium reactors, which are breeders by nature) increases proliferation concerns.

What is the difference between non-breeding reactors and thorium nuclear reactors?

Non-breeding reactors, on the other hand, require additional fissile material, such as uranium-235 or plutonium to sustain the reaction. The thorium fuel cycle is a potential way to produce long term nuclear energy with low radio-toxicity waste.

Is the thorium fuel cycle the future of nuclear energy?

The thorium fuel cycle offers enormous energy security benefits in the long-term—due to its potential for being a self-sustaining fuel without the need for fast neutron reactors. It is therefore an important and potentially viable technology that seems able to contribute to building credible, long-term nuclear energy scenarios.