World number one! China's nuclear energy has once again upgraded and broken through, with thorium based reactors available for global use for 20000 years

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On June 22nd, the website of the Spanish newspaper "Economist" reported a news that China has taken a revolutionary step in nuclear power generation. So what exactly happened that made Spain comment like this? It turns out that China has taken a key step in Nuclear reaction using thorium instead of uranium as the main fuel.

Thorium is a radioactive metal element that can be bombarded with neutrons to obtain uranium 233, making it a potential nuclear fuel. The use of thorium nuclear reactors in China fully demonstrates that thorium can be officially used as nuclear fuel in nuclear power generation and other Nuclear reaction performance.

When this element was not used in nuclear reactors, it was known that China was very rich in thorium resources. According to incomplete statistics, a considerable amount of thorium resources had been found in more than 20 provinces and regions in China. According to the relevant data of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2005, the reserves of thorium in Boe mining area of Inner Mongolia alone reached 220000 tons, accounting for 77.3% of the total reserves in China.

The reactor used for thorium as nuclear fuel this time is the first thorium based Molten salt reactor in China and the world, which belongs to the most advanced fourth generation nuclear power system. This use of thorium as the main fuel in nuclear reactors can make full use of China's uranium resources and break the dilemma of low uranium reserves in China, which is of special significance.

This reactor started in 2018 and the main project was not completed until 2021. Its biggest feature is the use of liquid thorium based molten salts as nuclear fuel, and the use of thorium based molten salts as nuclear fuel has considerable benefits.

At present, there are over 400 commercial reactors in the world, with the vast majority of them being pressurized water reactors. The characteristic of pressurized water reactors is that they use uranium as the main nuclear fuel, use the fission of uranium-235 to release some energy, and then use the energy to release heat, which is then generated by steam generators to drive power generation. Throughout the entire process, uranium as the main fuel has had a significant impact on this project.

Although uranium can promote the system to transmit electrical energy, its fission occurring glaze 235 only accounts for 0.71%. In pressurized water reactors, enriched uranium with increased uranium 235 energy is required to barely use the reaction critical point. We want Nuclear fission to release the huge energy we imagined. A large amount of uranium resources need to be consumed.

However, China's uranium production is very low, and relevant data shows that in 2021, China's uranium production only reached over 1800 tons. But the annual gap in our country is huge, and it is not something that domestic production can keep up with. The overflow can only rely on imports to maintain our country's demand.

We speculate based on the world pattern and the situation and style of European and American countries that once we become dependent on uranium, they will engage in bottleneck operations at critical times. If there is a war or other important matter. European and American countries will cut off the supply of uranium to our country. After all, in the face of absolute advantage, no one will give up, and it is the best thing to cause harm to the other party.

This kind of thing is not uncommon in China, and Huawei is an example. With the rise of Huawei technology, the United States is as envious as rabbits. In order to curb the rise of Huawei, the United States is willing to allow Japan, the Netherlands, Taiwan, and other countries to restrict the export of semiconductors to China. This move has increased Huawei's difficulties and risks, putting it in a passive situation. Not only that, but it also brings huge obstacles to Huawei's development.

The saying goes, 'A skillful woman cannot cook without rice'. Without raw materials, no matter how great one's ability is, they cannot be used. Cutting off the supply of raw materials, even if China's nuclear technology is advanced, it will still be subject to human control in critical times. China deeply believes this and has already laid out elements that can replace uranium and conducted research early on.

It can be imagined that once we enter a situation similar to Huawei, our path of importing uranium will be cut off by other countries. So in order to prevent potential risks, China is vigorously developing domestic resources to replace uranium and solve this potential hidden danger.

To solve this problem, it is necessary to know what isotopes nuclear energy uses as nuclear fuel. Among the known information, one type of isotope used as nuclear fuel is plutonium 239 formed by uranium 238 absorbing a neutron in the reactor, and the other type is uranium 233. But uranium 233 does not directly exist in nature, and to obtain it, one must use thorium 232.

Thorium resources are very abundant on Earth, especially in China. The annual output can not only meet China's needs, but also export some to other countries. The best way for our country to prevent being stuck by others is to develop from a large amount of resources. Because on the basis of quantity, we are not afraid of the awkward situation of developing technology without available resources.

In the case of abundant resources, if we have technology, it will lead the world's development. If other countries want to obtain technology, they will inevitably face the situation of importing thorium from China. Once we reach this stage, our country can not only bring convenience to our own country, but also offer discounts to the country. Regardless of the calculation, it is a cost-effective transaction.

Moreover, one ton of thorium is equivalent to 200 tons of uranium and 3.5 million tons of coal. This is much more tangible and enjoyable than using uranium as nuclear fuel. Imagine that not only do we have abundant thorium resources, but the same thorium resources can also bring better benefits. Why not use it?

In response to this situation, foreign experts have long calculated that if thorium is used for power generation, according to the current situation where the consumption of electricity remains unchanged, China's thorium resources can provide electricity for the entire world for 20000 years. This shows that the abundant thorium resources bring us enormous benefits.

And his benefits are not just these, we know, all along. After using uranium as fuel, there are many late stage problems that are difficult to solve, such as its extremely strong radiation, which has always been a headache for people. But if replaced with thorium, the later processing becomes much simpler and more environmentally friendly.

It is understood that the fission energy of one ton of thorium can not only withstand the fission energy of 200 tons of uranium, but using thorium for power generation is only equivalent to traditional methodsThe 6% radiation waste from nuclear power plants has reduced the unimaginable amount of nuclear radiation waste. For example, using uranium will generate 100 units of waste, but using thorium will only generate 6 units of waste. The most noteworthy thing is that these nuclear waste can be ignored for toxicity in just 300 years. The short time brings joy to those who hear it.

Does someone say that 300 years is not long enough? 300 years is indeed a long time for humans, but it is important to know that the nuclear radiation generated by uranium can exist for tens of thousands of years or more. In this comparison, the influence of thorium is simply not worth mentioning. And the benefits of thorium go far beyond that.

Thorium on the surface of the crust is thorium 232, which basically does not contain other elements in the same position as thorium. We know that it is troublesome to propose 0.7% uranium 235 from Natural uranium. But thorium is different, and its extraction from raw materials is very comprehensive. The process is very simple compared to uranium. Solved many troubles and saved a lot of money and energy. After all, extracting uranium 235 is very cumbersome and costly. Compared to it, thorium is simply a cherub like existence.

Not only that, but the safety performance of thorium is also very strong. According to relevant information, thorium itself does not undergo fission like uranium 235. Only by bombarding it with neutrons under specific conditions can it become uranium 233 and continue to be used. It is also very easy to prevent its fission. At the moment of cutting off the number of protons, without neutron injection, it will be unable to maintain a critical state and produce enough fissionable material, so the chain reaction will automatically stop.

In such cases, its safety performance is higher than that of uranium. After all, only when the next step is truly operated can fission occur. If not operated, it will remain as it is. This storage method is much safer and simpler than uranium. All of the above are benefits of using thorium as raw material for Nuclear reaction. It can be seen that,. Thorium's achievements in this field have crushed uranium, making it an ideal raw material for Nuclear reaction.

For our country, the biggest advantage of thorium is that it is very rich in resources, with a total storage capacity only second to India, making it the second largest country in the world to store thorium. Compared to the uranium we currently use, using thorium is clearly more suitable for us. It not only allows us to end the fate of being stuck in the neck and solve such a hidden danger, but also allows us to continue research on this basis, update and iterate the technology, and develop more widely applied technologies in China. And I believe that with the development of technology, China will definitely be able to stay at the forefront of technology.

However, although all of the above indicate that thorium has many benefits and is very suitable for development, as it is still in the research stage, a large amount of investment is still needed for validation, further research, and so on. In the future, people may apply thorium to more places, and its prospects are bright.

According to the British "Daily Science and Technology" report in August 2014, China has successfully manufactured the top secret thorium Atomic battery, which is the only and first top secret Chinese thorium battery power technology in China at present, and this technology will help China to go to heaven and sea to show its magic. We look forward to using thorium to change more of the current situation in the future, and to its application in more fields. Of course, we also look forward to China's rapidly changing technology, leading the world and realizing more possibilities.

It can be seen that thorium is developing at an extraordinary speed and has unlimited possibilities in the future. We will wait and see if it can help our country go further.

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