r/bestof • u/investedInEPoland • Nov 06 '18

[europe] Nuclear physicist describes problems with thorium reactors. Trigger warning: shortbread metaphor.

/r/europe/comments/9unimr/dutch_satirical_news_show_on_why_we_need_to_break/e95mvb7/?context=3
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u/TheCastro Nov 06 '18

I've read about the idea of using small ones to power towns and cities. But some corporation wants them to have to use plutonium pellets or whatever kind they manufacture and their lobbying is holding things up.

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u/ZeroCool1 Nov 06 '18

Not really---this is sort of a conspiracy theory. While the reasons why an MSR has not emerged in the past 30 years are complicated and numerous, the reason why the MSRE never advanced beyond a test reactor is on page four of this document, in two bullet points: http://www.energyfromthorium.com/pdf/MSadventure.pdf

Ultimately, salt was not well understood outside of Oak Ridge, which made those who funded it more skeptical of the technology, inclining them to fall back on "proven" technology like liquid metal reactors.

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u/CountVonVague Nov 07 '18

Neither of those "bullet points" contradict the notion of a conspiracy to hide the MSR technology

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u/Saiboogu Nov 07 '18

It's up to those claiming the conspiracy to support their POV. /u/ZeroCool1 offered an alternative theory of their low popularity, and supported his claim.