What is the critical mass of thorium?

The isotope 229Th is expected to be fissionable with a bare critical mass of 2839 kg, although with steel reflectors this value could drop to 994 kg. Th is not fissionable, but it is fertile as it can be converted to fissile 233U by neutron capture and subsequent beta decay.

How much energy does a LFTR produce?

The pro-thorium lobby claim a single tonne of thorium burned in a molten salt reactor (MSR) – typically a liquid fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR) – which has liquid rather than solid fuel, can produce one gigawatt of energy.

What is meant by a critical mass?

Definition of critical mass : a size, number, or amount large enough to produce a particular result the critical mass of activity needed for a retail store.

How does a Lftr reactor work?

The liquid fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR; often pronounced lifter) is a type of molten salt reactor. LFTRs use the thorium fuel cycle with a fluoride-based, molten, liquid salt for fuel. The secondary salt then transfers its heat to a steam turbine or closed-cycle gas turbine.

How much power does a thorium reactor produce?

300 MWe
The reactor will operate with a power of 300 MWe using thorium-plutonium or thorium-U-233 seed fuel in mixed oxide form. It is heavy water moderated (& light water cooled) and will eventually be capable of self-sustaining U-233 production.

How do Lftr reactors work?

What is critical size of a reactor?

The critical size is the minimum size of a nuclear reactor core or nuclear weapon that can be made for a specific geometrical arrangement and material composition. The critical size must at least include enough fissionable material to reach critical mass.

What is critical mass in radioactivity?

critical mass, in nuclear physics, the minimum amount of a given fissile material necessary to achieve a self-sustaining fission chain reaction under stated conditions.