FREQUENTLY ASKED QUENSTIONS
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We have collected a list of the typical questions and key issues on Thorium, geotermal energy and our innovative concepts for the future. |
Future energy
The population of the earth needs a stabile, low cost and long lasting energy form. One answer to this requirement is Nuclear power in different forms. One form that have growing interest on many levels is Thorium based nuclear power. Thorium based nuclear power Thorium is a metal that exist in large quantity all over the world. Thorium is mildly radioactive, but harmless. It is a waste product from precious mining and will be stored in the mine. Thorium contains about 200 times more energy than Uran, and when used the waste is limited and short lived. Thorium based powerplant New technology has given the possibility of cooling the reactor with salt, and make the reactor very small. 1 to 200 MWh that means that each city can have its own powerplant. It will also open for major manufacture and ships to have their own dedicated Thorium reactor. Waste from the reactor The waste from a modern salt cooled reactor is only 13 % and out of this 3 % will need to be stored for 300 years and 10 % for 10 years. The waste amount from 1 billion people is around 33,6 liters pr year, so this is the cleanest known power source on earth. Waste material The waste material in the reactor needs to be separated in order to reach the low volume of waste. This will be a total new industry that have to be generated as soon as the production starts to scale up. Security Why are smaller reactors safer than more traditional nuclear power plants? What are the risks? The salt cooled reactor is controlling the process by itself. If you draw power the reactor is cooled and the salt contract when cooling, this will in turn accelerate the process so it produces more power. When the power drain is stopped the salt is heated and it expands this slow the process so it stops again. In practice no human error can make the process run wild so it is a safe and self-controlling power unit. Energy price Using small standard power modules means that they can mass be mass produced. That way the cost of each module will be close to the price of the raw material. The price pr kWh is expected to be around 0.01€ when in volume. Service The whole system should fit into a container, so the unit can be replaced as soon as it needs service back at the factory. It will properly be a question of a replacement units if any problems. |
Where can smaller thorium reactors be placed?
The reactor fits in a standard 40-foot container, and in principle it can be placed wherever it is needed. This will solve the problem with the major power transport cables. There is not cobber enough. With this size it will also fit into a ship, big car or factory. Predictions of output The production is expected to run with 80-95 % for 10 years before it is needed to add more fuel. It is expected to work as a battery for the period, and it should be possible to control it over the web. Economics of scale The need is enormous, so when each reactor is on 100 MW they need to be produced like cars. It is the intention to set factories up in all the bigger markets around the world and make the production as automatic as possible. Sustainability There will be a need for a lot of products that needs special care and surface treatments to make the containers withstand the corrosive material used in the reactor. It will most properly be them that will dictate the life length of the reactor so a lot of the effort will be used here. Distribution How can energy from a Thorium reactor be distributed? As the reactor is fitting into a standard container it is possible to distribute it the same way as we do at the moment with other containers. The reactor will first be started when in place and connected to the grid and up until then it is totally harmless. Production It will be a serie production with as much automation as possible, just like a car factory. Just to follow the growth in power demand worldwide we have to build 60 new pr day. The goal is to make so many that where ever in the world you need cheap and big amount of power, you just get one of the small Thorium powerplants. Power How much can a Thorium based 100 MW nuclear reactor produce? A 100 MW powerplant can give energy to 50 – 100 000 households. But we plan to make smaller models that can be used in ships, cars and factories. Time-to-market How long time does it take to build a Thorium power plant? We expect to need 4 years from the time we have the financing in place until the first prototype, and further 4 years before a real production can commence. Economics of scale What is the model behind the development and establishment of Samiia’s smaller power units? Samiia Energy will work with all the groups and projects that are around the world trying to make the prototype as fast as possible. All that participate in the cooperation will have access to data on the prototype and can mass produce it as much as they are cable of. |