direct conversion with liquid salt reactors?

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kunkmiester
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direct conversion with liquid salt reactors?

Post by kunkmiester »

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.
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