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Introduction
Thorium & Uranium have a million times the energy density of coal. Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Uranium reserves in India pertaining are estimated to be about 95,000 tonnes of metal. Thorium reserves (monazite ore) in India are about 8 million tonnes
(containing about 0.63 million tonnes of thorium metal) occurring in beach and
river sands. Mined thorium is retrieved as a single isotope, thorium-232. No isotope separation nor enrichment process is needed. The known reserves of uranium in the country can support about 10 GWe of installed electricity capacity based on PHWRs for a life-time of 40 years at 80% capacity factor.
the nucleus of an atom splits into smaller parts (lighter nuclei), often
producing free neutrons and photons (in the form of gamma rays), and releasing a very large amount of energy, even by the energetic standards of
radioactive decay.
Nuclear fusion is the process by which two or more atomic nuclei join together, or "fuse", to form a single heavier nucleus. During this process, matter is not conserved because some of the mass of the fusing nuclei is converted to energy which is released.
Principle
Although not fissile itself, Th-232 will absorb slow neutrons to produce
The driver fuels (U-233, U-235 or Pu-239) provide all the neutrons initially,
but are progressively supplemented by U-233 as it forms from the thorium.
U-233 can be bred from thorium in a blanket, the U-233 separated, and then
Pa + 23392U 90
Nuclear Reactor
U-232 has a relatively short half-life (68.9 yr), and some decay products emit high energy gamma radiation, such as 224-Rn, 212-Bi and particularly 208-Tl. It can damage electronics, limiting their use in military bomb triggers and also create a radiological hazard which requires remote handling during reprocessing
Benefits of Thorium
1. Abundance of Thorium. 2. Existence of Thorium as single isotope.
Disadvantages of Thorium
1. Complication of fuel fabrications.
Conclusion
Inexorably rising consumption of fossil fuels and related greenhouse-gas emissions threaten our energy security and risk changing the global climate irreversibly. Nuclear is mature, relatively clean, and the best alternative to coal. In terms of displacing coal power plants, nuclear is the best viable alternative that is ready to be deployed on such a large scale.
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