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Kirk Sorensen: Thorium, an alternative nuclear fuel
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Kirk Sorensen shows us the liquid fuel thorium reactor -- a way to produce energy that is safer, cleaner and more efficient than current nuclear power.
Kirk Sorensen - Engineer, nuclear technologist
Kirk Sorensen stumbled across thorium while doing research on how to power a lunar community. Thorium is a cleaner, safer, and more abundant nuclear fuel -- one that Kirk believes will revolutionize how we produce our energy. Full bio
Kirk Sorensen stumbled across thorium while doing research on how to power a lunar community. Thorium is a cleaner, safer, and more abundant nuclear fuel -- one that Kirk believes will revolutionize how we produce our energy. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:06
Nearly everyone in the world
is part of some community,
is part of some community,
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Næsten alle i verden er
en del af et samfund,
en del af et samfund,
00:09
whether large or small.
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stort eller lille.
00:11
And all of these communities
have similar needs.
have similar needs.
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Og disse samfund har fælles behov.
00:14
They need light,
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De har brug for lys.
00:15
they need heat
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varme,
00:16
they need air-conditioning.
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klimaanlæg.
00:18
People can't function very well
when it's too hot or too cold.
when it's too hot or too cold.
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Mennesker fungerer ikke optimalt,
når det er for varmt eller koldt.
når det er for varmt eller koldt.
00:21
They need food to be grown or provided,
distributed and stored safely.
distributed and stored safely.
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De har brug for mad der dyrkes,
leveres og opbevares sikkert.
leveres og opbevares sikkert.
00:25
They need waste products to be collected,
removed and processed.
removed and processed.
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Der er brug for at affald
indsamles og bortskaffes.
indsamles og bortskaffes.
00:30
People in the community need to be able
to get from one place to another
to get from one place to another
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Folk skal transporteres
fra sted til sted
fra sted til sted
00:33
as quickly as possible.
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hurtigst muligt.
00:34
And a supply of energy is the basis
for all of these activities.
for all of these activities.
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Alle disse aktiviteter kræver energi.
00:38
Energy in the form of electricity
provides light and air-conditioning.
provides light and air-conditioning.
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Energi i form af elektricitet
til lys og aircondition.
til lys og aircondition.
00:41
Energy in the form of heat keeps us warm.
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Energi i form af varme.
00:43
And energy in chemical
form provides fertilizer;
form provides fertilizer;
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Og kemisk bundet energi
i gødning eller brændstof
i gødning eller brændstof
00:46
it drives farm machinery
and transportation energy.
and transportation energy.
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til landbrugsmaskiner
og anden transport.
og anden transport.
00:49
Now, I spent 10 years working at NASA.
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Jeg har arbejdet 10 år hos NASA.
00:51
In the beginning of my time there in 2000,
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I starten, tilbage i år 2000,
00:54
I was very interested in communities.
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var jeg meget interesseret i fællesskaber.
00:56
But this is the kind of community
I was thinking of --
I was thinking of --
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Men det var denne slags fællesskab,
jeg tænkte på ...
jeg tænkte på ...
en månebase.
00:58
a lunar community
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01:00
It had all of the same needs
as a community on Earth would have,
as a community on Earth would have,
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Beboerne vil have de samme behov,
som folk på Jorden har,
som folk på Jorden har,
01:03
but it had some very unique constraints.
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og samtidig unikke begrænsninger.
01:05
And we had to think about
how we would provide energy
how we would provide energy
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Og vi tænkte over hvordan,
vi kunne levere energi
vi kunne levere energi
01:08
for this very unique community.
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til dette unikke fællesskab.
01:09
There’s no coal on the Moon.
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Der er ingen kul på Månen.
01:11
There's no petroleum.
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Der er ingen olie.
01:12
There’s no natural gas.
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Der er ingen naturgas.
01:14
There's no atmosphere.
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Der er ingen atmosfære
01:15
There’s no wind, either.
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Heller ingen vind.
01:17
And solar power had a real problem:
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Og solenergi har ét stort problem:
01:19
the Moon orbits the Earth once a month.
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Månen kredser om Jorden
en gang om måneden.
en gang om måneden.
01:21
For two weeks, the sun goes down,
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I to uger er solen væk,
01:23
and your solar panels
don't make any energy.
don't make any energy.
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og dine solpaneler laver ingen strøm.
01:25
If you want to try to store
enough energy in batteries for two weeks,
enough energy in batteries for two weeks,
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At forsøge at lagre energi nok
til to uger ved hjælp af batterier
til to uger ved hjælp af batterier
01:29
it just simply isn't practical.
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er ikke en praktisk løsning.
01:30
So nuclear energy
was really the only choice.
was really the only choice.
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Så atomkraft var det eneste valg.
01:32
Now, back in 2000, I didn't really know
too much about nuclear power,
too much about nuclear power,
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Tilbage i 2000 vidste jeg ikke
ret meget om atomkraft,
ret meget om atomkraft,
01:36
so I started trying to learn.
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så jeg forsøgte at lære mere.
01:37
Almost all of the nuclear power
we use on Earth today uses water
we use on Earth today uses water
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Næsten al den atomkraft vi bruger
her på Jorden i dag bruger vand
her på Jorden i dag bruger vand
01:41
as a basic coolant.
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til køling.
01:42
This has some advantages,
but it has a lot of disadvantages.
but it has a lot of disadvantages.
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Der er der visse fordele ved,
men også en masse ulemper.
men også en masse ulemper.
01:45
If you want to generate electricity,
you have to get the water a lot hotter
you have to get the water a lot hotter
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Hvis du vil lave elektricitet,
skal vandet være meget varmere
skal vandet være meget varmere
01:49
than you normally can.
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end det normalt er.
01:50
At normal pressures, water will boil
at 100 degrees Celsius.
at 100 degrees Celsius.
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Under normale omstændigheder
koger vand ved 100 grader Celsius.
koger vand ved 100 grader Celsius.
01:53
This isn't nearly hot enough
to generate electricity effectively.
to generate electricity effectively.
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Det er langt fra varmt nok til
effektivt at lave elektricitet.
effektivt at lave elektricitet.
01:57
So water-cooled reactors have to run
at much higher pressures
at much higher pressures
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Så vandkølede reaktorer må
køre med langt højere tryk
køre med langt højere tryk
02:00
than atmospheric pressure.
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end vores atmosfæriske tryk.
02:02
Some water-cooled reactors run
at over 70 atmospheres of pressure,
at over 70 atmospheres of pressure,
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Visse vandkølede reaktorer kører
med over 70 atmosfærers tryk,
med over 70 atmosfærers tryk,
02:06
and others have to run at as much as
150 atmospheres of pressure.
150 atmospheres of pressure.
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og andre bliver nødt til at køre
med helt op til 150 atm. tryk
med helt op til 150 atm. tryk
02:10
There's no getting around this;
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Der er ingen vej udenom;
02:11
it's simply what you have to do
if you want to generate electricity
if you want to generate electricity
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du bliver simpelthen nødt til det,
hvis du vil lave elektricitet
hvis du vil lave elektricitet
02:14
using a water-cooled reactor.
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med en vandkølet reaktor.
02:16
This means you have to build
a water-cooled reactor
a water-cooled reactor
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Det betyder du må bygge
din vandkølede reaktor
din vandkølede reaktor
02:18
as a pressure vessel,
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som en trykkoger
02:20
with steel walls
over 20 centimeters thick.
over 20 centimeters thick.
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med vægge af stål
over 20 cm tykke.
over 20 cm tykke.
02:22
If that sounds heavy,
that's because it is.
that's because it is.
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Hvis det lyder tungt,
så har du ret.
så har du ret.
02:24
Things get a lot worse
if you have an accident
if you have an accident
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Det kan gå grueligt galt
hvis der sker et uheld
hvis der sker et uheld
02:26
where you lose pressure
inside the reactor.
inside the reactor.
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hvor trykket forsvinder i reaktoren.
02:29
If you have liquid water
at 300 degrees Celsius
at 300 degrees Celsius
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Hvis du har flydende vand
der er 300 grader varmt,
der er 300 grader varmt,
02:31
and suddenly you depressurize it,
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og du fjerner trykket
02:33
it doesn't stay liquid for very long;
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forbliver det ikke flydende længe;
02:35
it flashes into steam.
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det forvandles til damp.
02:36
So water-cooled reactors are built
inside of big, thick concrete buildings
inside of big, thick concrete buildings
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Så vandkølede reaktorer bygges
ind i store, tykke betonbygninger
ind i store, tykke betonbygninger
02:40
called containment buildings,
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kaldet indeslutningsbygninger,
02:42
which are meant to hold all of the steam
that would come out of the reactor
that would come out of the reactor
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hvis formål er at holde på al den damp,
der vil vælte ud af reaktoren,
der vil vælte ud af reaktoren,
02:45
if you had an accident
where you lost pressure.
where you lost pressure.
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hvis du ved et uheld mister trykket.
02:47
Steam takes up about 1,000 times
more volume than liquid water,
more volume than liquid water,
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Damp fylder ca. 1000 gange
mere end flydende vand,
mere end flydende vand,
02:51
so the containment building
ends up being very large,
ends up being very large,
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så indeslutningsbygningen
ender med at blive enorm
ender med at blive enorm
02:54
relative to the size of the reactor.
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i forhold til reaktorens størrelse.
02:55
Another bad thing happens
if you lose pressure
if you lose pressure
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En anden negativ ting
når du mister trykket,
når du mister trykket,
02:58
and your water flashes to steam.
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og vandet forvandles til damp;
02:59
If you don't get emergency coolant
to the fuel in the reactor,
to the fuel in the reactor,
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Hvis du ikke får køling frem til
brændstoffet i reaktoren,
brændstoffet i reaktoren,
03:02
it can overheat and melt.
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kan det overophede og smelte.
03:04
The reactors we have today
use uranium oxide as a fuel.
use uranium oxide as a fuel.
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Vore dages reaktorer bruger
uranoxid som brændstof.
uranoxid som brændstof.
03:07
It's a ceramic material
similar in performance
similar in performance
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Det er et keramisk materiale
med egenskaber
med egenskaber
03:10
to the ceramics we use to make
coffee cups or cookware
coffee cups or cookware
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i stil med den keramik vi laver
kaffekrus og kogegrej af
kaffekrus og kogegrej af
03:13
or the bricks we use to line fireplaces.
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eller de mursten vi bygger ildsteder af.
03:15
They're chemically stable,
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De er kemisk stabile,
03:16
but they're not very good
at transferring heat.
at transferring heat.
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men ikke gode til at
at transportere varme.
at transportere varme.
03:18
If you lose pressure, you lose your water,
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Hvis du mister trykket, mister du vandet,
03:20
and soon your fuel will melt down
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og så nedsmelter dit brændstof
03:22
and release the radioactive
fission products within it.
fission products within it.
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og frigiver radioaktive fissionsprodukter.
03:25
Making solid nuclear fuel
is a complicated and expensive process.
is a complicated and expensive process.
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At lave atombrændstof i fast form
er en kompliceret og dyr proces.
er en kompliceret og dyr proces.
03:28
And we extract less than one percent
of the energy for the nuclear fuel
of the energy for the nuclear fuel
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Og vi høster mindre end én procent
af energien gemt i det,
af energien gemt i det,
03:31
before it can no longer
remain in the reactor.
remain in the reactor.
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før det må ud af reaktoren.
03:34
Water-cooled reactors have
another additional challenge:
another additional challenge:
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Vandkølede reaktorer har
en yderligere udfordring;
en yderligere udfordring;
03:36
they need to be near
large bodies of water,
large bodies of water,
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de skal ligge nær
store vandmasser,
store vandmasser,
03:39
where the steam they generate
can be cooled and condensed.
can be cooled and condensed.
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hvor dampen kan køles ned
og blive til vand igen.
og blive til vand igen.
03:41
Otherwise, they can't generate
electrical power.
electrical power.
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Ellers kan de ikke lave elektricitet.
03:44
Now, there's no lakes
or rivers on the Moon,
or rivers on the Moon,
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Der er bare ingen søer
eller floder på Månen,
eller floder på Månen,
03:46
so if all of this makes it sound
like water-cooled reactors
like water-cooled reactors
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så hvis du synes at vandkølede reaktorer
03:49
aren't such a good fit
for a lunar community,
for a lunar community,
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ikke rigtigt passer til en månebase,
03:51
I would tend to agree with you.
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er vi nok ret enige.
03:52
(Laughter)
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(Latter)
03:53
I had the good fortune to learn about
a different form of nuclear power
a different form of nuclear power
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Til mit store held stødte jeg på
en anden form for atomkraft,
en anden form for atomkraft,
03:57
that doesn't have all these problems,
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som ikke har alle disse problemer
03:59
for a very simple reason:
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af en simpel årsag:
04:00
it's not based on water-cooling,
and it doesn't use solid fuel.
and it doesn't use solid fuel.
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Den er ikke baseret på vandkøling
og bruger ikke fast brændstof.
og bruger ikke fast brændstof.
04:03
Surprisingly, it's based on salt.
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Overraskende nok er den baseret på salt.
04:05
One day, I was at a friend's
office at work,
office at work,
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En dag jeg besøgte en ven på hans kontor
04:07
and I noticed this book on the shelf,
"Fluid Fuel Reactors."
"Fluid Fuel Reactors."
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bemærkede jeg denne bog på hylden:
"Fluid Fuel Reactors"
"Fluid Fuel Reactors"
04:10
I was interested
and asked him if I could borrow it.
and asked him if I could borrow it.
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Jeg blev nysgerrig og spurgte
om jeg måtte låne den.
om jeg måtte låne den.
04:13
Inside that book, I learned
about research in the United States
about research in the United States
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I den bog lærte jeg om forskningen i USA
04:16
back in the 1950s,
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tilbage i 1950'erne,
04:17
into a kind of reactor
that wasn't based on solid fuel
that wasn't based on solid fuel
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i en slags reaktor, der ikke var
baseret på fast brændstof
baseret på fast brændstof
04:20
or on water-cooling.
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eller vandkøling.
04:21
It didn't have the problems
of the water-cooled reactor,
of the water-cooled reactor,
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Den havde ingen af den
vandkølede reaktors problemer
vandkølede reaktors problemer
04:23
and the reason why was pretty neat.
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og årsagen var ligetil.
04:25
It used a mixture of fluoride salts
as a nuclear fuel,
as a nuclear fuel,
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Den brugte en blanding af
fluoridsalte som brændstof,
fluoridsalte som brændstof,
04:28
specifically, the fluorides of lithium,
beryllium, uranium and thorium.
beryllium, uranium and thorium.
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konkret flourider af lithium,
beryllium, uran og thorium.
beryllium, uran og thorium.
04:32
Fluoride salts are remarkably
chemically stable.
chemically stable.
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Flouridsalte er yderst
kemisk stabile.
kemisk stabile.
04:34
They do not react with air and water.
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De reagerer ikke med luft eller vand.
04:37
You have to heat them up
to about 400 degrees Celsius
to about 400 degrees Celsius
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De skal varmes op til
omkring 400 grader Celsius
omkring 400 grader Celsius
04:39
to get them to melt.
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før de smelter.
04:41
But that's actually perfect
for trying to generate power
for trying to generate power
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Men det er faktisk perfekt
til at lave strøm
til at lave strøm
04:43
in a nuclear reactor.
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med en atomreaktor.
04:44
Here's the real magic:
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Det bedste ved det hele:
04:46
they don't have to operate
at high pressure.
at high pressure.
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de behøver ikke køre med højt tryk.
04:48
And that makes the biggest
difference of all.
difference of all.
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Og det gør en kæmpe forskel.
04:50
This means they don't have to be
in heavy, thick steel pressure vessels,
in heavy, thick steel pressure vessels,
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Det betyder at de ikke skal indkapsles
i massive stålkonstruktioner,
i massive stålkonstruktioner,
04:54
they don't have to use water for coolant
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de behøver ikke vand til køling
04:56
and there's nothing in the reactor
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og der er intet i reaktoren
04:57
that's going to make
a big change in density, like water.
a big change in density, like water.
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der markant kan ændre massefylde,
ligesom vand kan.
ligesom vand kan.
05:00
So the containment building
around the reactor
around the reactor
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Så reaktorens indeslutningsbygning
05:02
can be much smaller and close-fitting.
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kan laves langt mindre og tætsluttende.
05:04
Unlike the solid fuels that can melt down
if you stop cooling them,
if you stop cooling them,
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Modsat faste brændstoffer som
nedsmelter, hvis du ikke køler dem,
nedsmelter, hvis du ikke køler dem,
05:07
these liquid fluoride fuels
are already melted,
are already melted,
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så er flydende flouridsalte
allerede smeltet
allerede smeltet
05:09
at a much, much lower temperature.
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ved en langt lavere temperatur.
05:11
In normal operation,
you have a little plug here
you have a little plug here
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Under normal drift,
er der en lille prop her
er der en lille prop her
05:13
at the bottom of the reactor vessel.
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i bunden af reaktorkammeret.
05:15
This plug is made
out of a piece of frozen salt
out of a piece of frozen salt
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Proppen er lavet af
et stykke frosset salt
et stykke frosset salt
05:18
that you've kept frozen
by blowing cool gas
by blowing cool gas
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som du holder frosset
ved at blæse kold gas
ved at blæse kold gas
05:20
over the outside of the pipe.
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på ydersiden af røret.
05:21
If there's an emergency
and you lose all the power
and you lose all the power
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Hvis der opstår en nødsituation
og du mister al strøm
og du mister al strøm
05:24
to your nuclear power plant,
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til dit atomkraftværk,
05:25
the little blower stops blowing,
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så stopper den lille blæser,
05:27
the frozen plug of salt melts,
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den frosne prop smelter,
05:29
and the liquid fluoride fuel
inside the reactor
inside the reactor
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og det flydende fluorid-
brændstof i reaktoren
brændstof i reaktoren
05:31
drains out of the vessel, through the line
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løber ud af kammeret,
gennem røret
gennem røret
05:33
and into another vessel
called a drain tank.
called a drain tank.
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og ind i en afløbstank.
05:35
Inside the drain tank, it's all configured
to maximize the transfer of heat,
to maximize the transfer of heat,
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Afløbstanken er designet til at
flytte store mængder varme,
flytte store mængder varme,
05:39
so as to keep the salt passively cooled
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så saltet køles passivt,
05:42
as its heat load drops over time.
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mens varmeudviklingen daler over tid.
05:44
In water-cooled reactors,
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I vandkølede reaktorer
05:45
you generally have to provide
power to the plant
power to the plant
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skal du typisk sikre dig
strøm til kraftværket
strøm til kraftværket
05:47
to keep the water circulating
and to prevent a meltdown,
and to prevent a meltdown,
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for at holde vandet i gang
og forhindre nedsmeltning
og forhindre nedsmeltning
05:50
as we saw in Japan.
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som vi så i Japan.
05:52
But in this reactor,
if you lose the power to the reactor,
if you lose the power to the reactor,
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Men mister du strømmen til denne reaktor,
05:55
it shuts itself down all by itself,
without human intervention,
without human intervention,
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så lukker den selv ned
uden menneskelig indgriben
uden menneskelig indgriben
05:58
and puts itself in a safe
and controlled configuration.
and controlled configuration.
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og overgår til en sikker
og stabil tilstand.
og stabil tilstand.
06:01
Now, this was sounding pretty good to me,
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Det lød ret godt i mine ører
06:03
and I was excited about the potential
of using a liquid fluoride reactor
of using a liquid fluoride reactor
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og jeg var spændt på potentialet i
at bruge en flydende fluorid-reaktor
at bruge en flydende fluorid-reaktor
06:06
to power a lunar community.
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til strøm på månebasen
06:08
But then I learned about thorium,
and the story got even better.
and the story got even better.
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Men så hørte jeg om thorium
og historien blev endnu bedre.
og historien blev endnu bedre.
06:11
Thorium is a naturally
occurring nuclear fuel
occurring nuclear fuel
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Thorium er et naturligt
forekommende stof,
forekommende stof,
06:13
that is four times more common
in the Earth's crust than uranium.
in the Earth's crust than uranium.
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som er fire gange mere udbredt
end uran i jordskorpen.
end uran i jordskorpen.
06:16
It can be used in liquid fluoride
thorium reactors
thorium reactors
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Det kan bruges i flydende
fluorid thorium-reaktorer
fluorid thorium-reaktorer
06:18
to produce electrical energy, heat
and other valuable products.
and other valuable products.
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til at lave elektrisk energi, varme
og andre værdifulde produkter.
og andre værdifulde produkter.
06:22
It's so energy-dense that you could hold
a lifetime supply of thorium energy
a lifetime supply of thorium energy
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Dets høje energitæthed gør at du kan holde
et livs forbrug af thorium-energi
et livs forbrug af thorium-energi
06:26
in the palm of your hand.
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i håndfladen.
06:27
Thorium is also common on the Moon
and easy to find.
and easy to find.
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Thorium er også udbredt på Månen
og nemt at finde.
og nemt at finde.
06:30
Here's an actual map of where
the lunar thorium is located.
the lunar thorium is located.
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Her er et kort over hvor
Månens thorium findes.
Månens thorium findes.
06:33
Thorium has an electromagnetic signature
that makes it easy to find,
that makes it easy to find,
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Thorium har en elektromagnetisk
signatur, der gør det nemt at finde
signatur, der gør det nemt at finde
06:36
even from a spacecraft.
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selv fra et rumskib.
06:37
With the energy generated
from a liquid fluoride thorium reactor,
from a liquid fluoride thorium reactor,
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Med energien fra en flydende
fluorid thorium-reaktor
fluorid thorium-reaktor
06:40
we could recycle all of the air,
water and waste products
water and waste products
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kunne vi rense og genbruge
al luften, vandet og affaldet
al luften, vandet og affaldet
06:43
within the lunar community.
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på månebasen.
06:44
In fact, doing so would be
an absolute requirement for success.
an absolute requirement for success.
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Faktisk ville det være en nødvendig
forudsætning for succes.
forudsætning for succes.
06:47
We could grow the crops needed
to feed the members of the community
to feed the members of the community
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Vi kunne dyrke livsvigtige afgrøder
til at brødføde indbyggerne,
til at brødføde indbyggerne,
06:50
even during the two-week lunar night,
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selv gennem en to uger lang månenat
06:52
using light and power from the reactor.
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med strømmen fra reaktoren.
06:54
It seemed like the liquid fluoride
thorium reactor, or LFTR,
thorium reactor, or LFTR,
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Det så ud til at den flydende fluorid
thorium-reaktor (LFTR)
thorium-reaktor (LFTR)
06:57
could be the power source that could make
a self-sustainable lunar colony
a self-sustainable lunar colony
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kunne være den strømkilde der gjorde
en selvforsynende månebase
en selvforsynende månebase
07:01
a reality.
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til virkelighed.
07:02
But I had a simple question:
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Men så spurgte jeg mig selv;
07:03
If it was such a great thing
for a community on the Moon,
for a community on the Moon,
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hvis det var det helt rette
for en månebase
for en månebase
07:06
why not a community on the Earth,
a community of the future,
a community of the future,
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hvorfor så ikke også på Jorden
i fremtidens samfund,
i fremtidens samfund,
07:09
self-sustaining and energy-independent?
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selvforsynende og energi-uafhængigt?
07:11
The same energy generation
and recycling techniques
and recycling techniques
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De selvsamme teknikker til at
lave energi og genbruge affald,
lave energi og genbruge affald,
07:14
that could have a powerful impact
on surviving on the Moon
on surviving on the Moon
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som kan have stor betydning
i forhold til at overleve på Månen,
i forhold til at overleve på Månen,
07:17
could also have a powerful impact
on surviving on the Earth.
on surviving on the Earth.
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kan også have stor betydning
i forhold til at overleve på Jorden.
i forhold til at overleve på Jorden.
07:20
Right now, we're burning fossil fuels
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I dag bruger vi fossile brændstoffer,
07:22
because they're easy to find
and because we can.
and because we can.
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fordi de er nemme at finde
og fordi vi kan.
og fordi vi kan.
07:24
Unfortunately, they're making some parts
of our planet look like the Moon.
of our planet look like the Moon.
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Desværre får de visse dele
af vores planet til at ligne Månen.
af vores planet til at ligne Månen.
07:28
Using fossil fuels
entangles us in conflict
entangles us in conflict
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Fossile brændstoffer
fører os ind i konflikter
fører os ind i konflikter
07:30
in unstable regions of the world
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i ustabile områder af verden
07:32
and costs money and lives.
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og koster penge og liv.
07:34
Things could be very different
if we were using thorium.
if we were using thorium.
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Alt det kunne ændre sig,
hvis vi brugte thorium.
hvis vi brugte thorium.
07:37
You see, in a LFTR, we could use thorium
about 200 times more efficiently
about 200 times more efficiently
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Forstår I, i en LFTR kunne vi bruge
thorium 200 gange mere effektivt
thorium 200 gange mere effektivt
07:40
than we're using uranium now.
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end vi bruger uran nu.
07:42
And because the LFTR is capable
of almost completely releasing
of almost completely releasing
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Og fordi en LFTR er i stand til
at frigive næsten al
at frigive næsten al
07:45
the energy in thorium,
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energien i thorium,
07:46
this reduces the waste generated
over uranium by factors of hundreds,
over uranium by factors of hundreds,
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reduceres affaldsmængden med en faktor
flere hundrede i forhold til uran
flere hundrede i forhold til uran
07:50
and by factors of millions
over fossil fuels.
over fossil fuels.
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og med flere millioner
i forhold til fossilt brændstof.
i forhold til fossilt brændstof.
07:53
We're still going to need liquid fuels
for vehicles and machinery,
for vehicles and machinery,
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Vi får stadig brug for flydende brændstof
til køretøjer og maskiner
til køretøjer og maskiner
07:56
but we could generate these liquid fuels
from the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
from the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere
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men vi kunne lave dette brændstof
ud af atmosfærens CO2
ud af atmosfærens CO2
08:00
and from water, much like nature does.
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og vand, næsten som naturen selv gør.
08:02
We could generate hydrogen
by splitting water
by splitting water
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Vi kunne lave brint ved at spalte vand
08:04
and combining it with carbon
harvested from CO2 in the atmosphere,
harvested from CO2 in the atmosphere,
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og kombineret med kulstof høstet
fra atmosfærens CO2, kunne vi lave
fra atmosfærens CO2, kunne vi lave
08:07
making fuels like methanol,
ammonia, and dimethyl ether,
ammonia, and dimethyl ether,
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brændstoffer såsom methanol,
ammoniak og dimethylæter,
ammoniak og dimethylæter,
08:11
which could be a direct replacement
for diesel fuels.
for diesel fuels.
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som direkte kan erstatte
dieselbaserede brændstoffer.
dieselbaserede brændstoffer.
08:13
Imagine carbon-neutral
gasoline and diesel,
gasoline and diesel,
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Forestil jer CO2-neutral benzin og diesel
08:16
sustainable and self-produced.
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bæredygtigt og selvskabt.
08:19
Do we have enough thorium?
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Har vi nok thorium?
08:20
Yes, we do.
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Ja, vi har.
08:22
In fact, in the United States, we have
over 3,200 metric tons of thorium
over 3,200 metric tons of thorium
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I USA er der over 3.200 tons thorium
08:25
that was stockpiled 50 years ago
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opmagasineret for 50 år siden
08:27
and is currently buried
in a shallow trench in Nevada.
in a shallow trench in Nevada.
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som ligger begravet i en kløft i Nevada.
08:30
This thorium, if used in LFTRs,
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Hvis dette thorium blev brugt i LFTR'er,
08:32
could produce almost as much energy
as the United States uses in three years.
as the United States uses in three years.
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så kunne det producere næsten lige så meget
energi som USA bruger på 3 år.
energi som USA bruger på 3 år.
08:36
And thorium is not
a rare substance, either.
a rare substance, either.
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Og thorium er ikke et sjældent stof.
08:38
There are many sites
like this one in Idaho,
like this one in Idaho,
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Der er mange områder,
såsom dette i Idaho,
såsom dette i Idaho,
08:40
where an area the size of a football field
would produce enough thorium each year
would produce enough thorium each year
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på størrelse med en fodboldbane, der
kan levere thorium nok årligt til at dække
kan levere thorium nok årligt til at dække
08:44
to power the entire world.
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verdens behov for energi.
08:45
Using liquid fluoride thorium technology,
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Med flydende fluorid thorium-teknologi
08:47
we could move away from
expensive and difficult aspects
expensive and difficult aspects
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kan vi bevæge os væk fra de
dyre og besværlige aspekter
dyre og besværlige aspekter
08:50
of current water-cooled, solid-fueled
uranium nuclear power.
uranium nuclear power.
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ved den nuværende vandkølede
uran-baserede atomkraft
uran-baserede atomkraft
08:53
We wouldn't need large,
high-pressure nuclear reactors
high-pressure nuclear reactors
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Vi ville ikke behøve de store
højtryks-atomreaktorer
højtryks-atomreaktorer
08:56
and big containment buildings
that they go in.
that they go in.
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og de endnu større bygninger de kræver.
08:58
We wouldn't need large,
low-efficiency steam turbines.
low-efficiency steam turbines.
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Vi ville ikke behøve de store
ineffektive dampturbiner.
ineffektive dampturbiner.
09:01
We wouldn't need to have
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Vi ville ikke behøve
09:02
as many long-distance power
transmission infrastructure,
transmission infrastructure,
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de mange lange højspændingskabler
09:05
because thorium is
a very portable energy source
a very portable energy source
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for thorium er en meget mobil energikilde,
09:07
that can be located
near to where it is needed.
near to where it is needed.
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som kan placeres tæt på hvor den behøves.
09:10
A liquid fluoride thorium reactor
would be a compact facility,
would be a compact facility,
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En LFTR er en kompakt enhed,
09:13
very energy-efficient and safe,
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meget energieffektiv og sikker,
09:15
that would produce the energy
we need day and night,
we need day and night,
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som kan lave al den energi
vi behøver døgnet rundt
vi behøver døgnet rundt
09:17
and without respect to weather conditions.
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uden hensyntagen til vind og vejr.
09:19
In 2007, we used
five billion tons of coal,
five billion tons of coal,
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i 2007 brugte hele verden
5 milliarder tons kul,
5 milliarder tons kul,
09:22
31 billion barrels of oil
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31 milliarder tønder olie,
09:24
and five trillion cubic meters
of natural gas,
of natural gas,
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5 billioner kubikmeter naturgas,
09:26
along with 65,000 tons of uranium
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og 65.000 tons uran
09:29
to produce the world's energy.
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til at dække behovet for energi.
09:31
With thorium, we could do the same thing
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Med thorium kan vi nøjes
09:33
with 7,000 tons of thorium
that could be mined at a single site.
that could be mined at a single site.
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med 7.000 tons, som kan udvindes
indenfor et enkelt område.
indenfor et enkelt område.
09:37
If all this sounds interesting to you,
I invite you to visit our website,
I invite you to visit our website,
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Hvis du synes dette lyder interessant
så besøg vores hjemmeside,
så besøg vores hjemmeside,
09:40
where a growing and enthusiastic
online community of thorium advocates
online community of thorium advocates
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hvor et voksende, entusiastisk fællesskab
af fortalere for thorium
af fortalere for thorium
09:43
is working to tell the world
about how we can realize a clean, safe
about how we can realize a clean, safe
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arbejder på at fortælle verden hvordan
vi kan opnå en ren, sikker og
vi kan opnå en ren, sikker og
09:47
and sustainable energy future,
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bæredygtig energi-fremtid,
09:49
based on the energies of thorium.
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baseret på energien i thorium.
09:51
Thank you very much.
(Applause)
(Applause)
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Mange tak
(Salen klapper)
(Salen klapper)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Kirk Sorensen - Engineer, nuclear technologistKirk Sorensen stumbled across thorium while doing research on how to power a lunar community. Thorium is a cleaner, safer, and more abundant nuclear fuel -- one that Kirk believes will revolutionize how we produce our energy.
Why you should listen
Kirk Sorensen began his work with thorium while working as an aerospace engineer at NASA. In 2010, he left NASA to work as the chief nuclear technologist at Teledyne Brown Engineering. In 2011, he founded Flibe, a company focused on developing modular thorium reactors.
Kirk Sorensen | Speaker | TED.com