International Thorium Energy Committee

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International Thorium Energy Committee
Abbreviation iThEC
Formation 2012 (2012)
Founder Carlo Rubbia
Founded at CERN, Geneva
Purpose To promote the cause of using thorium as a means of reducing existing and future nuclear waste, and for generating electricity

The international Thorium Energy Committee (iThEC) [1] was founded in late 2012 at CERN in Geneva by scientists, engineers, political figures and industrialists under the leadership of its honorary president Carlo Rubbia, to promote the cause of using thorium as a means of reducing existing and future nuclear waste, and also for generating electricity.

CERN International organization which operates the worlds largest particle physics laboratory

The European Organization for Nuclear Research, known as CERN, is a European research organization that operates the largest particle physics laboratory in the world. Established in 1954, the organization is based in a northwest suburb of Geneva on the Franco–Swiss border and has 23 member states. Israel is the only non-European country granted full membership. CERN is an official United Nations Observer.

Geneva Place in Switzerland

Geneva is the second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland. Situated where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the capital of the Republic and Canton of Geneva.

Carlo Rubbia Italian particle physicist

Carlo Rubbia, is an Italian particle physicist and inventor who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1984 with Simon van der Meer for work leading to the discovery of the W and Z particles at CERN.

Contents

International conference

After its founding, the first action of the committee was to organise an international conference on Thorium, ThEC13, [2] using mostly private funding and institutional support from CERN. The conference lasted four days and attracted wide support from research institutes, energy companies and private individuals who contributed to the establishment of the current state-of-the-art in Thorium technology. Amongst the many contributions to the conference, one may note the announcement of the decision by the companies Solvay and Areva to jointly fund research in Thorium development [3] and the tests by the Norwegian company Thor energy [4] of Thorium fuel rods in the Halden Reactor. [5]

Thorium Chemical element with atomic number 90

Thorium is a weakly radioactive metallic chemical element with symbol Th and atomic number 90. Thorium is silvery and tarnishes black when it is exposed to air, forming thorium dioxide; it is moderately hard, malleable, and has a high melting point. Thorium is an electropositive actinide whose chemistry is dominated by the +4 oxidation state; it is quite reactive and can ignite in air when finely divided.

Solvay S.A. company

Solvay is a Belgian chemical company founded in 1863, with its head office in Neder-Over-Heembeek, Brussels, Belgium.

Halden Reactor nuclear reactor in Halden, Norway

The Halden Reactor is a 25MW nuclear reactor located in Halden, Norway and dedicated for research. The reactor became operative in 1958, and is operated by the Institute for Energy Technology. In October 2016 media said that it is expected to close now, without saying what year it will reopen.. In June 2018, the board of directors of Norway's Institute for Energy Technology (IFE) has decided to close the Halden Reactor permanently and to start its decommissioning. The board will not apply to extend its operating licence, which expires in 2020, and the reactor, which is currently shut down due to a safety valve failure, will not be restarted.

Expansion

The Committee is expanding its membership to reach a wider audience and attracted to the ThEC13 conference keynote speakers such as Pascal Couchepin, former president of the Swiss confederation and member of the Liberal Party of Switzerland and Hans Blix, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Pascal Couchepin member of the Swiss Federal Council

Pascal Couchepin is a Swiss politician, former member of the Swiss Federal Council (1998–2009) and President of the Confederation in 2003 and 2008. He headed the Federal Department of Home Affairs from 2003 to 2009.

Liberal Party of Switzerland political party

The Liberal Party of Switzerland was a party with economically liberal policies. It was known as a party of the upper class. On 1 January 2009 it merged with the larger Free Democratic Party (FDP) to establish FDP.The Liberals.

Hans Blix Swedish politician

Hans Martin Blix is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. As such, Blix was the first Western representative to inspect the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster in the Soviet Union on site, and led the agency response to them. Blix was also the head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission from March 2000 to June 2003, when he was succeeded by Dimitris Perrikos. In 2002, the commission began searching Iraq for weapons of mass destruction, ultimately finding none. In February 2010, Blix became head of the United Arab Emirates' advisory board for its nuclear power program.

See also

A subcritical reactor is a nuclear fission reactor concept that produces fission without achieving criticality. Instead of a sustaining chain reaction, a subcritical reactor uses additional neutrons from an outside source. There are two general classes of such devices. One uses neutrons provided by a nuclear fusion machine, a concept known as a fusion-fission hybrid. The other uses neutrons created through spallation of heavy nuclei by charged particles such as protons accelerated by a particle accelerator, a concept known as an accelerator-driven system (ADS) or accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor.

Thorium Energy Alliance (TEA) is a non-governmental, non-profit 501(c)3, educational organization based in the United States, which seeks to promote energy security of the world through the use of thorium as a fuel source. The potential for the use of thorium was studied extensively during the 1950s and 60s, and now worldwide interest is being revived due to limitations and issues concerning safety, economics, use and issues in the availability of other energy sources. TEA advocates thorium based nuclear power in existing reactors and primarily in next generation reactors. TEA promotes many initiatives to educate scientists, engineers, government officials, policymakers and the general public.

Thorium fuel cycle

The thorium fuel cycle is a nuclear fuel cycle that uses an isotope of thorium, 232
Th
, as the fertile material. In the reactor, 232
Th
 is transmuted into the fissile artificial uranium isotope 233
U
 which is the nuclear fuel. Unlike natural uranium, natural thorium contains only trace amounts of fissile material, which are insufficient to initiate a nuclear chain reaction. Additional fissile material or another neutron source is necessary to initiate the fuel cycle. In a thorium-fuelled reactor, 232
Th
 absorbs neutrons to produce 233
U
. This parallels the process in uranium breeder reactors whereby fertile 238
U
 absorbs neutrons to form fissile 239
Pu
. Depending on the design of the reactor and fuel cycle, the generated 233
U
 either fissions in situ or is chemically separated from the used nuclear fuel and formed into new nuclear fuel.

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Nuclear power power generated from sustained nuclear fission

Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions that release nuclear energy to generate heat, which most frequently is then used in steam turbines to produce electricity in a nuclear power plant. As a nuclear technology, nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by nuclear fission of uranium and plutonium. Nuclear decay processes are used in niche applications such as radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Generating electricity from fusion power remains at the focus of international research. This article mostly deals with nuclear fission power for electricity generation.

Breeder reactor type of fast neutron reactor that produces more fissile material than it consumes

A breeder reactor is a nuclear reactor that generates more fissile material than it consumes. Breeder reactors achieve this because their neutron economy is high enough to create more fissile fuel than they use, by irradiation of a fertile material, such as uranium-238 or thorium-232 that is loaded into the reactor along with fissile fuel. Breeders were at first found attractive because they made more complete use of uranium fuel than light water reactors, but interest declined after the 1960s as more uranium reserves were found, and new methods of uranium enrichment reduced fuel costs.

Areva multinational group based in France specializing in nuclear and renewable energy

Areva S.A. was a French multinational group specializing in nuclear power and renewable energy with headquartered in Paris, France. Before restructuring Areva was majority owned by the French state, through French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (54.37%), Banque publique d'investissement (3.32%), and Agence des participations de l'État (28.83%). Moreover, Électricité de France of which the French government has a majority ownership stake, owned 2.24%; Kuwait Investment Authority owned 4.82% as the second largest shareholder after the French state. It was also listed at Euronext. As a part of the restructuring program after insolvency, Areva sold out or discontinued its renewable energy businesses, sold its reactors business subsidiary Areva NP to EDF and nuclear nuclear propulsion and research reactors subsidiary Areva TA to Agence des participations de l'État, and separated nuclear cycle business into a separate company New Areva. As a results, Areva S.A. became a wholly state-owned by the French Government, and it stayed responsible only for the liabilities related to the Olkiluoto 3 project in Finland, as well for a holding of 40% stake in Orano.

In nuclear physics, an energy amplifier is a novel type of nuclear power reactor, a subcritical reactor, in which an energetic particle beam is used to stimulate a reaction, which in turn releases enough energy to power the particle accelerator and leave an energy profit for power generation. The concept has more recently been referred to as an accelerator-driven system (ADS) or Accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor.

Anil Kakodkar Indian scientist

Anil Kakodkar is an Indian nuclear physicist and mechanical engineer. He was the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India and the Secretary to the Government of India, he was the Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay from 1996–2000. He was awarded the Padma Vibhushan, India's second highest civilian honour, on 26 January 2009.

Molten salt reactor class of nuclear fission reactors with molten salt as the primary coolant or the fuel

A molten salt reactor (MSR) is a class of nuclear fission reactor in which the primary nuclear reactor coolant and/or the fuel is a molten salt mixture. MSRs offer multiple advantages over conventional nuclear power plants, although for historical reasons, they have not been deployed.

EPR (nuclear reactor)

The EPR is a third generation pressurised water reactor (PWR) design. It has been designed and developed mainly by Framatome and Électricité de France (EDF) in France, and Siemens in Germany. In Europe this reactor design was called European Pressurised Reactor, and the internationalised name was Evolutionary Power Reactor, but it is now simply named EPR.

Uranium-233 is a fissile isotope of uranium that is bred from thorium-232 as part of the thorium fuel cycle. Uranium-233 was investigated for use in nuclear weapons and as a reactor fuel. It has been used successfully in experimental nuclear reactors and has been proposed for much wider use as a nuclear fuel. It has a half-life of 160,000 years.

Generation IV reactor classification of nuclear reactors

Generation IV reactors are a set of nuclear reactor designs currently being researched for commercial applications by the Generation IV International Forum, with technology readiness levels varying between the level requiring a demonstration, to economical competitive implementation. They are motivated by a variety of goals including improved safety, sustainability, efficiency, and cost.

Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission

The Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission is an independent governmental authority and a scientific research institution, concerned with research and development of nuclear power, promotion of nuclear science, energy conservation and the peaceful usage of nuclear technology.

Liquid fluoride thorium reactor

The liquid fluoride thorium reactor is a type of molten salt reactor. LFTRs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoride-based, molten, liquid salt for fuel. In a typical design, the liquid is pumped between a critical core and an external heat exchanger where the heat is transferred to a nonradioactive secondary salt. The secondary salt then transfers its heat to a steam turbine or closed-cycle gas turbine.

The Jules Horowitz Reactor is a Material Test Reactor (MTR) cooled and moderated with water. It is under construction at Cadarache in southern France, based on the recommendations of the European Roadmap for Research Infrastructures Report, which was published by the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) in 2006. The reactor, which is named for the 20th-century French nuclear scientist Jules Horowitz, is expected to begin operation in 2021.

Indias three-stage nuclear power programme

India's three-stage nuclear power programme was formulated by Homi Bhabha in the 1950s to secure the country's long term energy independence, through the use of uranium and thorium reserves found in the monazite sands of coastal regions of South India. The ultimate focus of the programme is on enabling the thorium reserves of India to be utilised in meeting the country's energy requirements. Thorium is particularly attractive for India, as it has only around 1–2% of the global uranium reserves, but one of the largest shares of global thorium reserves at about 25% of the world's known thorium reserves. However, thorium is more difficult to use than uranium as a fuel because it requires breeding, and global uranium prices remain low enough that breeding is unnecessary.

The FUJI molten salt reactor is a proposed molten-salt-fueled thorium fuel cycle thermal breeder reactor, using technology similar to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory's Molten Salt Reactor Experiment - liquid fluoride thorium reactor. It was being developed by the Japanese company International Thorium Energy & Molten-Salt Technology (IThEMS), together with partners from the Czech Republic. As a breeder reactor, it converts thorium into the nuclear fuel uranium-233. To achieve reasonable neutron economy, the chosen single-salt design results in significantly larger feasible size than a two-salt reactor. Like all molten salt reactors, its core is chemically inert and under low pressure, helping to prevent explosions and toxic releases. The proposed design is rated at 200 MWe output. The IThEMS consortium planned to first build a much smaller MiniFUJI 10 MWe reactor of the same design once it had secured an additional $300 million in funding.

No nuclear power plant has ever been established in Norway; however, the country has a legal framework for licensing the construction and operation of nuclear installations. Also, four research reactors have been built in Norway, the first was JEEP I which was operative from 1951 to 1966. Two research reactors are currently operative, the Halden Reactor and JEEP II at Kjeller. There has been discussions about the possible usage of nuclear energy, which is supported by some industry leaders. Statkraft together with Vattenfall, Fortum and the energy investment company Scatec announced plans to investigate building of a thorium-fueled power plant in 2007 which was never realized. In 2010, Aker Solutions purchased patents from Nobel Prize winning physicist Carlo Rubbia for the design of a proton accelerator-based thorium nuclear power plant, but was subsequently sold to Jacobs Engineering Group in 2011. In late 2012, Norway's privately owned Thor Energy, in collaboration with the government and Westinghouse, announced a four-year trial using thorium in an existing nuclear reactor.

Thorium-based nuclear power type of power generation

Thorium-based nuclear power generation is fueled primarily by the nuclear fission of the isotope uranium-233 produced from the fertile element thorium. According to proponents, a thorium fuel cycle offers several potential advantages over a uranium fuel cycle—including much greater abundance of thorium on Earth, superior physical and nuclear fuel properties, and reduced nuclear waste production. However, development of thorium power has significant start-up costs. Proponents also cite the lack of easy weaponization potential as an advantage of thorium, while critics say that development of breeder reactors in general increases proliferation concerns. Since about 2008, nuclear energy experts have become more interested in thorium to supply nuclear fuel in place of uranium to generate nuclear power. This renewed interest has been highlighted in a number of scientific conferences, the latest of which, ThEC13 was held at CERN by iThEC and attracted over 200 scientists from 32 countries.

Thorcon is a company that is designing the ThorCon Reactor, a small modular reactor (SMR) that employs molten salt technology, based on the DMSR design from Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It relies on large modules as are used in modern ship building. The ThorCon reactor is a "burner" reactor that employs liquid fuel, rather than a conventional solid fuel; this liquid contains the nuclear fuel and also serves as primary coolant.

References

  1. ↑ "iThEC". iThEC. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  2. ↑ "* Thorium Energy Conference 2013 (ThEC13) * CERN Globe of Science and Innovation, Geneva, Switzerland (27-31 October 2013)". Indico.cern.ch. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  3. ↑ SmartPlanet (2013-08-26). "Conventional nuclear giant Areva strikes thorium deal". SmartPlanet. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  4. ↑ "Thor Energy - the Norwegian thorium initiative - Thor Energy". Thorenergy.no. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
  5. ↑ "Thorium put to the test as policymakers rethink nuclear". Telegraph. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
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