Over 100 persons gathered in St. Louis on August 21 and 22, 2017 to listen to papers and discuss the advances in the development of advanced Molten Salt Reactors, and how these devices can be the basis for a true carbon free energy system (as opposed to the pseudo carbon free system offered by wind and solar/natural gas).
Topics included:
- updates on the latest designs for MSR,
- fuel cycles based on Uranium and Thorium,
- myths of radiation dangers,
- policy decisions on the part of the U.S. Government that discourage technical advances,
- the linkage between rare earth minerals and Thorium,
- use of heat from high temperature reactors for industrial uses and desalination of water,
- how MSRs can provide energy to turn coal and gas into fuels, fertilizers and materials for the future
- the extreme danger posed to the Earth from global warming and especially ocean acidification from continued burning of fossil fuels (including natural gas)
- how premature closing of existing nuclear plants may pander to public fears, but destroys a vital component to carbon free and reliable energy and local economies.
You can download Bill DeOreo’s talk on the use of waste heat from MSRs for water desalination here.