Why a Thorium Nuclear Power Plant is Superior to Coal Power Plants Currently nuclear power is very unpopular.

People have good reasons. The quake and Tsunami in Japan did incredible damage to one their nuclear power plant complexes. In addition, the repairs continue months later, and perhaps millions of people have been exposed to dangerous levels of radiation. We dare not lessen this tragedy but we should pursue a source of nuclear power that has finally come of age. The thorium reactor is superior to a coal power plant and conventional nuclear power plants. First let us consider coal. In the late 1800s America discovered many of the benefits of coal. It is a much better source of energy than wood, because it yields more heat per gram. Currently 92% of coal is used to produce electricity. We understand that different fuels are in competition with each other and that coal continues to offer the best heat yield per dollar of fuel. Unfortunately, burning coal has some terrible consequences. Anthracite coal has the lowest amounts of (unhealthy) impurities. We are running low on anthracite because deposits are somewhat small in comparison. Now it must be considered that the remaining coal contains excessive amounts of nitrogen and sulfur. N2O and SO2 are serious air pollutants that we have been trying to lower in our environment. Coal power plants cause these air pollutants along with the poison mercury in their soot and gas from the combustion of coal. Mining coal has serious hazards and also produces tons of sediment and mineral content that is damaging our waterways and ecosystems. (Chemistry in Context Section 4.3) Now we will compare the benefits of the thorium nuclear reactor. Many reactor designs run on thorium and small amounts of uranium 233. The reactor in India also uses some plutonium. This one is serving as a model for other countries of the great potential of an advanced heavy water reactor of this type. In this reactor there are many passive safety features. One key feature is cooling by natural circulation during normal operation or even in a shutdown condition. Another key feature is passive shutdown. These are excellent features if pumps were non-functional, such as a worst case scenario such as a systems failure or a natural disaster. This thorium reactor is designed to have a lifetime of 100 years, much better than our standard nuclear reactors with their 40 year lifespan. (ieee spectrum Aug 2008 edition) In conclusion, the thorium reactor is less expensive to build and maintain (than traditional nuclear plants) and can challenge the many dangers of coal. There are Th-233u reactors designed only need to 233u start the thorium reaction (no plutonium). This thorium reactor does not produce material convenient for making nuclear bombs (for terrorists and hostile nations). This reactor does not have the large volume of dangerous radioactive materials that conventional nuclear reactors have. Another safety feature is that a thorium reactor can produce a greatly reduced volume of high level waste. The expenses are much lower than our current nuclear reactors. The thorium reactors are less costly because of the lower risks in this design.