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China has world’s first operational thorium nuclear reactor thanks to ‘strategic stamina’ (www.scmp.com)

submitted 2 days ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

239 comments fedilink hide all child comments

https://archive.is/2nQSh

It marks the first long-term, stable operation of the technology, putting China at the forefront of a global race to harness thorium – considered a safer and more abundant alternative to uranium – for nuclear power.

The experimental reactor, located in the Gobi Desert in China’s west, uses molten salt as the fuel carrier and coolant, and thorium – a radioactive element abundant in the Earth’s crust – as the fuel source. The reactor is reportedly designed to sustainably generate 2 megawatts of thermal power.

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[–] [email protected] 48 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Literally nothing you just said is correct.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Is it wrong that Thorium reactions stop on their own?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 2 days ago

It depends how they are designed. Same as regular uranium reactors. Thorium isn't a reactor fuel after all, it's what you use to breed more fuel. The actual fuel is still uranium. Thorium turns into uranium-233 then that is the fuel. Normal reactors use uranium-235. Both isotopes can be made to be passively safe.