Is there a thorium breeder reactor in the USA's Future?

[leprechaun0]

I have been reading sporadically about China's development of a thorium molten salt reactor. I am not aware of much activity in the US.

Has anyone heard of the US building next gen reactors in the next 10-15 years? It seems nuclear power here is dead.

Also is it true that the thorium molten salt style reactors can utilize fissile waste products for extra neutrons? Thus rendering the waste products into less reactive waste?

 

[Hologram0110]

You might be interested in the http://www.gen-4.org/Technology/evolution.htm. The US is involved with it. The MSR is just one of the reactor types begin studied.

There are still a couple of reactors being built in the US at different stages. From Wikipedia:

As of December 2011, construction by Southern Company on two new nuclear units has begun, and they are expected to be delivering commercial power by 2016 and 2017.[116][117] But, looking ahead, experts see continuing challenges that will make it very difficult for the nuclear power industry to expand beyond a small handful of reactor projects that "government agencies decide to subsidize by forcing taxpayers to assume the risk for the reactors and mandating that ratepayers pay for construction in advance". Mark Cooper suggests that the cost of nuclear power, which already had risen sharply in 2010 and 2011, could "climb another 50 percent due to tighter safety oversight and regulatory delays in the wake of the reactor calamity in Japan".[118]

 

[leprechaun0]

Hey thanks, I was just focusing on the MSRs because they are relatively new to me.

 

[AntonL]

I have been reading sporadically about China's development of a thorium molten salt reactor. I am not aware of much activity in the US.

Has anyone heard of the US building next gen reactors in the next 10-15 years? It seems nuclear power here is dead.

Also is it true that the thorium molten salt style reactors can utilize fissile waste products for extra neutrons? Thus rendering the waste products into less reactive waste?

you might be interested in http://www.ted.com/talks/kirk_sorensen_thorium_an_alternative_nuclear_fuel.html and http://energyfromthorium.com/