| Is ORNL making a comeback in thorium energy and molten salt technology? David says: "...there seems to be a real pent up interest in the region in regards to getting back to work on Molten Salt/Liquid Fluoride designs."  Photo of Alvin when documenting 6000 hours of sucessfull operation. |
 A fascinating story of thorium energy began with two persons who had a visionary goal. The goal was to create the best possible energy source by taming the sacred fire. At their disposal they had some of the very best scientists, huge resources and immense experience. Image: The two visionaires were Alvin Weinberg and Eugene Wigner. What they created was a very efficient solution, but totally different compared to paths that others were pursuing. After the system was demonstrated in two slightly different sucessfull prototypes, they were ready to scale it up. This is when they were surprisingly forced to shut down the development and abandon their brain child. Whatever the underlying reason was, the system fullfil today's demands perfectly. David LeBlanc, one of today's top experts in the field and an IThEOmember, went back at ORNL to give a lecture in the very Weinberg Auditorium (18 May). His talk was focusing on the design of the system and we wonder if there might be a new era of molten salt technology at the very location where it was first developed? David says: "...there seems to be a real pent up interest in the region in regards to getting back to work on Molten Salt/Liquid Fluoride designs." Molten Salt Reactors: An Exploration of Design Space, David LeBlanc Oak Ridge National Laboratory, ORNL |