Thorium & Small Modular Reactors

Which type of nuclear power plants can use thorium as fuel?

• Pressurized water reactors (PWRs)

• Boiling water reactors (BWRs)

• Molten Salt reactors (MSRs)

• Gas-cooled reactors (GCRs)

What is one potential advantage of thorium-based nuclear power plants?

• Less nuclear waste production and less prone to nuclear weapons proliferation

• Safer for the environment

• More efficient use of resources

• Higher energy output

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How can thorium potentially solve the issue of nuclear waste?

• By being used as a fuel in nuclear reactors

• By being released into the atmosphere

• By being disposed of in the ocean

• By being stored in underground repositories

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What is the main challenge in implementing thorium-based nuclear power plants?

• Lack of funding

• Technology not yet fully developed

• Environmental concerns

• Difficulty in obtaining thorium

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Which is an advantage of thorium nuclear fission over uranium nuclear fission?

• Can make nuclear bombs from it.

• Emits no air pollution.

• Emits no greenhouse gases.

• Leaves less radioactive wastes.

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Which is an advantage of thorium nuclear fission over uranium nuclear fission?

• Has a freeze plug safety shut-off.

• Emits no air pollution.

• Emits no greenhouse gases.

• Is useful for making nuclear bombs.

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If an accelerator-driven thorium nuclear fission reactor loses electricity for its thermostat and controls, ____. Choose all correct answers.

• it melts out of control and then explodes, leaking out radioactive poisons.

• its required neutron beam turns off, which shuts off the reactor.

• a cooling fan turns off, so the liquid fluoride thorium salt melts and drains out, which stops the reactor.

• it splits its cooling water into hydrogen and oxygen, which explode, causing a leak of dangerous radioactive poisons.

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In the 1960s, the U.S. Government chose nuclear power plant designs based on uranium rather than thorium. Why?

• Uranium is much more expensive.

• Uranium must have expensive preprocessing to enrich its percent of ²³⁵U.

• Uranium reactors are useful for making nuclear weapons.

• The uranium reactor cores are cooled by pressurized water.

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When a uranium nuclear reactor gets too hot, control rods are inserted between the uranium to absorb neutrons and slow/stop the fissioning. However, the control rods may get stuck, leading to a ____.

• meltdown

• profit

• freeze over

• spin

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Since Molten Salt Reactors do not use pressurized water for cooling, they cannot _______.

• have a steam or hydrogen explosion

• freeze the fuel

• keep cool enough

• create steam for a turbine

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