direct conversion with liquid salt reactors?
Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:34 am
The molten salt reactors generally use thorium for the main fuel. I'd have to refresh myself on the exact fuel cycle, but I'm thinking this:
The salt circulates through a moderated area where the fission actually takes place. If you set this loop up right, you could use a convection current rather than a pump to circulate the fuel.
Could the chemistry of the salt support a current, or something inductive enough you could use the convection current to generate power directly? Could this be any more efficient than thermal/steam cycles? I suppose it's possible it's not even worth it for a secondary power source, but I'd just had an intro to chemistry, and such things aren't covered.
The salt circulates through a moderated area where the fission actually takes place. If you set this loop up right, you could use a convection current rather than a pump to circulate the fuel.
Could the chemistry of the salt support a current, or something inductive enough you could use the convection current to generate power directly? Could this be any more efficient than thermal/steam cycles? I suppose it's possible it's not even worth it for a secondary power source, but I'd just had an intro to chemistry, and such things aren't covered.