Thorium Molten Salt Reactor Clean, Sustainable Energy
As the need for clean energy has become a primary concern of people and governments around the world, the Thorium Molten Salt Reactor (TMSR) has received renewed attention. The usefulness of the TMSR to provide a solution to the growing problem of a rapidly increasing demand for electricity worldwide while reducing the CO2 impact on the environment. This is a ‘renewed’ effort because the United States demonstrated the operational superiority of a TMSR from the late 1960s to the early 1970s at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The success of the TMSR was overshadowed by the geopolitical needs of the time. For reasons completely disassociated with the demonstrated operational efficiency of the reactor, the program was halted, and a promising technology was left to gather dust.
Fifty years later, the geopolitical landscape has changed and the realization of the impact that electrical energy production is having on the environment has pressed nearly everyone to search for alternative, clean energy sources. One of these sources is proving to be the long moth-balled Thorium Molten Salt Reactor. The TMSR operational features of safety, efficiency, cleanliness, and cost are exactly what the world needs now and, in the future, to meet the sky-rocketing demand for clean, sustainable energy. This is especially true for the uniquely designed TMSR being proposed here for further development. Its superior features of design, safety, adaptability to a variety of uses, and portability make this the leading TMSR being developed in the world today.
Fifty years later, the geopolitical landscape has changed and the realization of the impact that electrical energy production is having on the environment has pressed nearly everyone to search for alternative, clean energy sources. One of these sources is proving to be the long moth-balled Thorium Molten Salt Reactor. The TMSR operational features of safety, efficiency, cleanliness, and cost are exactly what the world needs now and, in the future, to meet the sky-rocketing demand for clean, sustainable energy. This is especially true for the uniquely designed TMSR being proposed here for further development. Its superior features of design, safety, adaptability to a variety of uses, and portability make this the leading TMSR being developed in the world today.
RMT Competitive Advantage
Along with the five issued patents in the US and one in the EU, our Thorium Molten Salt Reactor design has a number of clear advantages over other MSRs being developed.
- Horizontal Reactor Vessel Our horizontal design makes it possible to control temperature output, facilitates energy co-production, and increases the safety and usability of the thermal reactor.
- Emergency Overflow Tank This overflow tank automatically assists in the shutdown procedures if normal operating procedures are exceeded, or an outside force disrupts the operation of the reactor.
- Air Cooled Our air cooled design does not require pressurized water that can become contaminated and explode, such as in Light Water Reactors (i.e., Fukushima).
- Secondary Heat Source The chamber under the reactor vessel can be used as a secondary source of heat for energy co-production or for heated fluids to be used in a variety of applications, including agriculture, aquaculture, and for use in oil production in oil shale and oil sands fields.
- Environmentally Safe The molten salt fluids (potassium fluoride and/or sodium fluoride) used in the thermal reactor vessel and associated pipes are environmentally safe while providing extraordinary heating capability to about 850C.
- Portability Because of its gravity neutral design, our reactors could be put on flat-bed trucks and moved to where power and heat output are needed and then moved to the next location as needed.
Our 250 MW reactor can easily provide power to 250,000 homes. These 250 MW reactors are designed to be chained together in order to achieve the output needed for any project.
Moving Forward
Nuclear reactors are known for their huge footprint and demanding operational requirements. These imposing needs are practically eliminated with the TMSR. At this point in our development, we think that a 250 MW reactor is the optimal size. Our design that would allow a chain of four reactors to achieve 1 GW output. One Megawatt (1 MW) of output will handle about 1000 homes in the US, or probably closer to 1500 homes in other parts of the world. So, our 250 MW reactor can easily provide power to 250,000 homes. The footprint of this reactor would be small enough that one or two could easily fit in every existing power station located in every city. Thus, the power requirements of even the largest cities could easily be met with the TMSR.
Marketability
There are a number of uses for the TMSR with associated advantages for each use.
Electrical Power Production The worldwide market for power is estimated at over $8 Trillion annually with at least 70% of that power currently provided by carbon-based fuels. The opportunity to replace that fuel source is enormous. Besides providing clean energy, the safety and horizontal design will allow the TMSR to be placed near the users and eliminate the loss of energy from long-distance transmission lines, estimated to be 25% of generated power. Developed and developing nations alike have a growing need for more energy.
Water Desalination Numerous countries around the world currently rely on desalinated sea water for use by individuals and agriculture. Almost all these operations are driven by carbon fuels which, while providing needed water, also produce CO2 problems. In the year 2020, the market size for desalination equipment was $16 billion and is expected to be $28 Billion by 2026. The CAGR for such equipment is expected to be nearly 10% for the foreseeable future as climate change impacts the need for clean water. Heat-related treatment facilities (as opposed to osmosis treatments) are the bulk of the new facilities being installed. This makes an ideal market for the TMSR because of its size, mobility, and safety.
Propulsion Large ocean-going vessels is another important market. With international shipping of goods growing at a fast pace, manufacturers of large vessels are looking for ways to replace the heavy dependence on fossil fuels. The size and flexibility of the TMSR makes it a prime source of propulsion for these large vessels. The configuration needed for such vessels has already been contemplated and some preliminary discussions have been held.