On 2/21/2014 11:52 AM, John Clark wrote:
On Tue, Feb 18, 2014 at 5:50 PM, LizR <lizj...@gmail.com
<mailto:lizj...@gmail.com>> wrote:
> Would this have happened if Japan had been using subcritical reactors
with thorium
fuel?
If it were a Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) and the cowardly operators saw the
Tsunami coming and ran for the hills and completely abandoned the plant then the liquid
Thorium fuel (Thorium dissolved in un-corrosive molten Fluoride salts) would get hot,
and that would expand the liquid, and that would cause the fuel to get less dense, and
that would cause the nuclear reaction to slow down. Then a freeze plug at the bottom of
the reactor would melt and the liquid fuel would drain out by gravity (no pumps would be
needed) into a holding tank and the reaction would stop completely and the reactor would
enter a safe mode. All this is assuming that the operators were completely incompetent
and never lifted a finger to help the situation.
And because the liquid Fluoride salt is not under pressure as water is in the Fukushima
plant leaks would be far less likely and much less catastrophic even if they did occur.
And also thorium fluoride salt is not water soluble so it wouldn't pollute the
water table.
Brent
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