- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.ml
- cross-posted to:
- technology@lemmy.ml
It marks the first long-term, stable operation of the technology, putting China at the forefront of a global race to harness thorium – considered a safer and more abundant alternative to uranium – for nuclear power.
The experimental reactor, located in the Gobi Desert in China’s west, uses molten salt as the fuel carrier and coolant, and thorium – a radioactive element abundant in the Earth’s crust – as the fuel source. The reactor is reportedly designed to sustainably generate 2 megawatts of thermal power.
A small test reactor paves the way for bigger, more practical reactors. You can’t start with a full-sized gigawatt model; you need to test and validate your designs at a small scale first.