Wrong on the it doesnt change anything. Thorium changes everything. It’s still in the very early stages of development so yes it does appear similar to uranium reactors but what you need to understand is these can get SMALL. It’s about density of energy production. The S6W and other traditional reactors are stuck being huge. You need fuel rods, and water cooling which takes up tons of space.
The molten salt coolant requires a lot less space than a water based coolant, and because thorium itself is so much easier to work with you can create what is referred to as Small Modular Reactors.
Basically the idea is they would function like an engine. You could construct them entirely in factories and ship them to where they are needed and simply slot them into place.
You’ve also got the pressure issue, and meltdown issue. Traditional reactors have high pressure steam to deal with. If it gets shot, and springs a leak it EXPLODES. Not ideal for a high risk naval asset that’s job is to get shot at. Plus the reaction can get out of control if the reactor is damaged and cause an ecological disaster. Thorium doesn’t have these issues. It’s pressure is the same as atmosphere basically, and its pretty much meltdown proof.
So to sum it up, Liquid Salt Thorium Reactors are smaller, safer, more economical (can be produced at scale and the fuel is much more common), tactically viable in more areas, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting.
Also a little bonus is that Uranium requires sourcing usually from overseas. It’s not really a viable replacement for oil since it’s rare. Need enrichment, etc. Just with the Thorium that China currently has in it’s domestic reserves it could power it’s entire electric grid for 60,000 years. So no need to import it, or worry about sourcing.
Wrong on the it doesnt change anything. Thorium changes everything. It’s still in the very early stages of development so yes it does appear similar to uranium reactors but what you need to understand is these can get SMALL. It’s about density of energy production. The S6W and other traditional reactors are stuck being huge. You need fuel rods, and water cooling which takes up tons of space.
The molten salt coolant requires a lot less space than a water based coolant, and because thorium itself is so much easier to work with you can create what is referred to as Small Modular Reactors.
Basically the idea is they would function like an engine. You could construct them entirely in factories and ship them to where they are needed and simply slot them into place.
You’ve also got the pressure issue, and meltdown issue. Traditional reactors have high pressure steam to deal with. If it gets shot, and springs a leak it EXPLODES. Not ideal for a high risk naval asset that’s job is to get shot at. Plus the reaction can get out of control if the reactor is damaged and cause an ecological disaster. Thorium doesn’t have these issues. It’s pressure is the same as atmosphere basically, and its pretty much meltdown proof.
So to sum it up, Liquid Salt Thorium Reactors are smaller, safer, more economical (can be produced at scale and the fuel is much more common), tactically viable in more areas, and probably other stuff I’m forgetting.
Also a little bonus is that Uranium requires sourcing usually from overseas. It’s not really a viable replacement for oil since it’s rare. Need enrichment, etc. Just with the Thorium that China currently has in it’s domestic reserves it could power it’s entire electric grid for 60,000 years. So no need to import it, or worry about sourcing.