A grass-roots effort has been initiated to request US Government funding for research and development of Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor technology. The effort is facilitated by a We the People / White House petition launched on October 5, 2011 that has already been signed by safe energy advocates in 48 states thus far. This technology is safe, economical and Thorium is a natural resource that is abundantly available in the United States, promising a safe energy independent alternative to fossil fuels.

Petition link: http://wh.gov/2Wp

About the technology:

Thorium is a dramatic rethink of energy derived from a nuclear reaction and it is an experimental technology, not simply a theoretical one. The US has already developed and tested this technology using two prototype plants. The Aircraft Reactor Experiment and the Molten-Salt Reactor Experiment ran for nearly 5 years at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (1965-1969). With further research and development this technology could rescue the US (and the rest of the world) from our dependence on dirty fossil fuels. No other existing energy production technology offers the sheer production capacity of Thorium in a safe and economically feasible avenue. Imagine a day in the not too distant future celebrating America’s “Energy Independence Day!”

Nuclear safety:

In this dramatic rethink of nuclear technology, Thorium LFTR reactors would absorb 60 years of commercial nuclear engineering experience into a brand new design. This would allow all safety concerns to be engineered into a new reactor, based off an existing prototype. Passive safety is the goal. This means no more meltdowns. This means passive cooling when the power goes out. This means no water moderation or super high pressures that eject nuclear material into the atmosphere. Imagine the terms “safe” and “nuclear” in use without public anxiety! Yes there is such a thing as a “safe nuclear energy plant” and thorium is the answer.

Thorium reserves:

Thorium is hundreds of times more abundant than fissionable Uranium-235 and is currently treated as a nuclear waste in the rare earth mineral mining business. Existing sites within the US can account for our current yearly total energy usage. One gram of Thorium has the energy density of over 150 gallons of gasoline. 100 grams of Thorium can be dug from your back yard, and will cover your entire lifetime’s energy needs.

Nuclear waste:

LFTR technology allows the burning of existing nuclear waste as fuel. This further decays existing fuel into more stable elements. LFTR utilizes the vast majority of its fuel, compared to light water reactors that are enriched to 3% and the 97% is U238 ‘filler’ that enters the waste stream. This means dramatically less nuclear waste.

Other benefits:

Thorium utilizes a different fuel cycle, which means different byproducts in the waste stream, many of which are useful rare earth or extinct elements. One example is a medical isotope that is used is fighting distributed cancers, Bi-213. LFTR also produces waste that is proliferation resistant.

About the petition sponsor: The initiator and primary sponsor of this petition is Daniel E. Rankin. He is an unemployed Industrial Engineer with a BS in Applied Physics and a desire to promote this cause. He has no current financial incentives or direct ties to this industry, he simply believes this technology will solve many issues facing the world today. Imagine the impact of energy independence on the US deficit.

Contact: Daniel Ely Rankin dan(at)danielelyrankin(dot)com

Relevant Websites:

The petition: http://wh.gov/2Wp

Tech summary: https://plus.google.com/109596373340495798827/posts/4SF6fr99Jsv

Google Tech Talks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHs2Ugxo7-8

Technical summary: http://energyfromthorium.com/lftradsrisks.html

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