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View Full Version : Thorium. As good as people say it is?



Tweezy
17 Nov 2011, 04:30pm
Watch;

Motherboard TV: The Thorium Dream | Motherboard (http://motherboard.tv/2011/11/9/motherboard-tv-the-thorium-dream)

Do you guys really think this is our future? I for one think it's really promising.

Nishok
18 Nov 2011, 09:13am
Watch;

Motherboard TV: The Thorium Dream | Motherboard (http://motherboard.tv/2011/11/9/motherboard-tv-the-thorium-dream)

Do you guys really think this is our future? I for sure thing it's really promising.

I have seen this vid yesterday, but I haven't seen any facts in it, so I'm not going to take sides. I just hope what they say is true.

Harpr33t
18 Nov 2011, 02:51pm
I heard India was investing in this heavily because I am an Indian.

PotshotPolka
19 Nov 2011, 01:06am
I heard India was investing in this heavily because I am an Indian.

They just want thorium bombs to shit on Pakistan with.

Tweezy
19 Nov 2011, 02:38am
They just want thorium bombs to shit on Pakistan with.

That's one great thing about Thorium, you can't make bombs with it.

PotshotPolka
19 Nov 2011, 03:07am
That's one great thing about Thorium, you can't make bombs with it.

I watched the video. But something as catchy as "Thorium Bombs" must be feasible.

Tweezy
19 Nov 2011, 03:23am
I watched the video. But something as catchy as "Thorium Bombs" must be feasible.

haha :L Has a certain ring to it, but I surely hope just once in the span of Human life we manage to design something that is feasible, without it also being used to make weapons...

Zeke
19 Nov 2011, 11:43am
I'm sure our military has an interest in it.

Tweezy
19 Nov 2011, 11:45am
I'm sure our military has an interest in it.

Maybe for powering stuff.

Nishok
19 Nov 2011, 12:59pm
That's one great thing about Thorium, you can't make bombs with it.

How about powering lazor guns, HUH?

Zeke
19 Nov 2011, 07:46pm
Maybe for powering stuff.

Hahaha, yeaaaaa.

sebak
20 Nov 2011, 11:44am
good stuff. really interesting to watch

Harpr33t
20 Nov 2011, 07:49pm
How about powering lazor guns, HUH?

You mean my dream of finally becoming a storm trooper will be reality?

Nasu
21 Nov 2011, 09:19am
Power armor with energy weapons here.


The real problem is always bringing new energy production methods to reality. Oil and coal are extremely easy power production methods and most companies don't want to go to new methods as they just get more profit untill the oil/coal prices skyrocket very high (supposedly :o). Also people are so afraid of nuclear power that prejudices would make implementing this very hard.

Methods like fusion are easy to implement after a efficient way has been found as people have already heard a lot about it. Just my thoughts :F

Tweezy
21 Nov 2011, 09:44am
Power armor with energy weapons here.


The real problem is always bringing new energy production methods to reality. Oil and coal are extremely easy power production methods and most companies don't want to go to new methods as they just get more profit untill the oil/coal prices skyrocket very high (supposedly :o). Also people are so afraid of nuclear power that prejudices would make implementing this very hard.

Methods like fusion are easy to implement after a efficient way has been found as people have already heard a lot about it. Just my thoughts :F

If we were actually going to do Nuclear fusion, we would have to setup a mining colony on the moon, as we need the Helium from there. The good thing about Thorium is that it isn't that dangerous... It emits alpha radiation which can't get past human skin.

Nasu
21 Nov 2011, 11:38am
Fusion is done from tritium and deuterium, isotopes of hydrogen o_o. Both are extractable from water pretty much

Tweezy
21 Nov 2011, 01:58pm
Fusion is done from tritium and deuterium, isotopes of hydrogen o_o. Both are extractable from water pretty much

Hmm, this has either moved on a lot since I last checked it out, or I'm being stupid -_-

Zeke
21 Nov 2011, 09:35pm
Heavy water isn't really used in nuclear anymore.

harro
22 Nov 2011, 02:56am
Nuclear power is a terrible idea. Fucking plants always blow up when I play Sim City.

Tweezy
22 Nov 2011, 08:01am
Nuclear power is a terrible idea. Fucking plants always blow up when I play Sim City.

... Sim city? Politics? Urg, go away please

Zeke
22 Nov 2011, 12:41pm
Nuclear power is a terrible idea. Fucking plants always blow up when I play Sim City.

Things are designed to go bad in Sim City to keep you interested. Nuclear is one of the safer powers we have imo.

Tweezy
22 Nov 2011, 04:08pm
Things are designed to go bad in Sim City to keep you interested. Nuclear is one of the safer powers we have imo.

The current way we use Nuclear Power (Uranium) is not safe, far from it. Though, nuclear power plants using Thorium is, as it's liquid based instead of a solid object. Meaning, if someone bad happened resulting in a danger to the plant, the liquid would sink into a special container, where it would stay until the reactor is bought back online. Whereas with Uranium, it would, well.. We know what would happen.

PotshotPolka
22 Nov 2011, 04:08pm
No, it's not.

Both in storage and energy production nuclear is by far the least safe.

I consider it safe, it makes you sterile.

Zeke
22 Nov 2011, 05:59pm
No, it's not.

Both in storage and energy production nuclear is by far the least safe.

Hurr, I said imo. Meaning I honestly don't care about the risks. The results far outweigh the means.

Jazzyy
22 Nov 2011, 09:45pm
Isn't coal mining more dangerous?

harro
22 Nov 2011, 10:40pm
Isn't coal mining more dangerous?

Yes coal mining is more dangerous in places like China, but no one gives a shit because it's only dangerous to the workers.

For the U.S. though I think there's only been like 10-15 fatal accidents since the 60s or 70s.

Zeke
22 Nov 2011, 11:44pm
Suicide rate from coal mining is probably higher in China than actual coal mining deaths

Harpr33t
23 Nov 2011, 11:51am
Lets not digress guys...

Jazzyy
23 Nov 2011, 01:46pm
You do realise that uranium is mined also?
Yeah but from what I understand from a powerpoint i did on uranium about a week ago and viewing this wikipedia article, and reading this quote that:
The main use of uranium in the civilian sector is to fuel nuclear power plants (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_power_plant). One kilogram of uranium-235 can theoretically produce about 80 terajoules (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_%28energy%29) of energy (8×1013 joules (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joule)), assuming complete fission; as much energy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy) as 3000 tonnes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonne) of coal (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coal).

so "theoretically" it would require less work to mine uranium as, although it still poses a danger, it may be less dangerous than coal due to the fact it would require less work to be obtained.
though i don't really know how hard it is to find uranium as compared to coal, nor can i really find any hard facts on such a thing. it's pretty hard to find unbiased opinions on nuclear power where it's not bulging with right wing or left wing radicalism.

harro
23 Nov 2011, 04:17pm
You do realise that uranium is mined also?

Uranium mining, so far, hasn't really caused any massive cave-ins + the accidents that usually happen are not always due to the activity of mining itself. The last accident I've heard of is a single person died because a rock fell on his head.