UC Campus: Zimmer Hall 302, Hosted by UC

10:45 AM – Noon, April 10, 2012, Tuesday

UC Campus: Zimmer Hall 302, hosted by UC

OSU Campus (NE 881): Scott Laboratory E141

Creating the Future of Energy: the Thorium Reactor

John Kutsch

Executive Director, Thorium Energy Alliance

Thorium-232 is commonly found with heavy rare earth minerals and can be used efficiently in a specific Molten Salt Reactor called the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR). Current rare earth mining already produces large amounts of thorium nitrate, whichcan be converted to thorium tetra-fluoride for consumption in an LFTR while rare earth metals are used for producing electronics, windmill generators, and electric car batteries. The use of thorium offers a unique level of public acceptance due to its separation from the existing image of nuclear power, and offers improved methods of dealing with proliferation and environmental intrusion.

LFTR offers technical advantages including:

·  Low pressure

·  Passive decay heat removal

·  High negative reactivity coefficient and load following capability without control rods

·  Thorium tetrafluoride (LiF-BeF-ThF salt) fuel in blanket with uranium tetrafluide (LiF-BeF-UF salt) in core

o  Fission product removal due to fluid design: 90% fuel utilization

·  Produce industrial and medical isotopes

·  Proliferation resistance

·  Can use various fuels, including legacy spent nuclear fuel

·  Higher thermodynamic efficiency

·  Compact, easy to manufacture due to low pressure reactor vessel design

·  Greatly reduced construction cost, scalable from large 10 GW to SMR 20-100 MW units

About the Speaker:

John Kutsch is the Executive Director for the Thorium Energy Alliance and runs Whole World, an engineering consultancy in Harvard, Illinois. He is a founding member of the Thorium Energy Alliance after spending several years researching Thorium applications and reactors for an industrial client. John has organized three international conferences and offered commentary and testimony in support of 233U preservation, Rare Earth Refining and Thorium Energy Research to the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of Nuclear Energy. He actively promotes changes in federal policy regarding use and storage of thorium to Federal and State Legislatures.

Refreshments 10:45 Speaker: 11:00 Sharp