Uranium Thorium facts
While investigating facts about Uranium Thorium Dating and Uranium Thorium Dating Explained, I found out little known, but curios details like:
The ash from coal power plants contains uranium & thorium and carries 100 times more radiation into the surrounding environment than a nuclear power plant producing the same amount of energy.
how does thorium turn into uranium?
In New Zealand, every high school is entitled to 1 pound of uranium and 1 pound of thorium, for experimentation. However, there is a fine of $1 million for creating nuclear explosions.
What makes uranium and thorium different elements?
In my opinion, it is useful to put together a list of the most interesting details from trusted sources that I've come across answering what is the difference between thorium and uranium. Here are 20 of the best facts about Uranium Thorium Dating Problems and Uranium Thorium Dating Method I managed to collect.
what is uranium and thorium?
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Coal Power Plants generate more radiation than Nuclear Power Plants. Coal contains uranium and thorium, both radioactive elements.They occur in such trace amounts in natural coal. But when coal is burned into fly ash, uranium and thorium are concentrated at up to 10 times their original levels.
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The US government during WW2 asked the press to avoid discussing "polonium, uranium, ytterbium, hafnium, protactinium, radium, rhenium, thorium, deuterium". Only uranium was secret, for the Manhattan Project, but was listed with the other elements to hide its importance.
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One tonne of Thorium is equivalent to 200 tonnes of uranium or 3,500,000 tonnes of coal AND 3 times more abundant than uranium but we still dont use it would require "to great an investment and no clear payoff"
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Coal Power Plants generate more radiation than Nuclear Power Plants. Coal contains uranium and thorium, both radioactive elements.They occur in such trace amounts in natural coal. But when coal is burned into fly ash, uranium and thorium are concentrated at up to 10 times their original levels.
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In 1973, the US government stopped research into thorium based nuclear reactors as, unlike Uranium reactors, their byproducts could not be used to make nuclear weapons
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The potential nuclear energy from the trace amounts of uranium and thorium in coal ash actually exceeds the energy released by burning the coal itself.
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Most Helium on earth is the result of radioactive decay of Uranium and Thorium in the earth's crust
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The energy density of some materials can be used to create power, such as that found in uranium and thorium. The energy density of uranium is 1,539,842,000 MJ/L, and this material is used for power plants, nuclear reactors, and industrial process heat. The energy density of a lithium battery is 4.32 MJ/L and is used to power a portable flashlight.
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Thorium reactors can use spent uranium rods and make their half-life only 300 years(instead of half a million), is very abundant, and a tiny ball of it would be enough to power my entire life, and only costs 100$.
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Fiestaware kitchenware made up until the 1970's and Coleman Lanterns made into the mid 1990's emit significant amounts of radiation above background. A red Fiestaware plate from the period is about 20% Uranium and Coleman used thorium in their lantern mantels.
Why is thorium safer than uranium?
You can easily fact check why don't we use thorium instead of uranium by examining the linked well-known sources.
There is a law that states every high school in New Zealand may hold one pound of uranium and one pound of thorium for conducting nuclear experiments, but they will be fined $1,000,000 should there be a nuclear explosion.
When the uranium and thorium were removed from the sample of pitchblende, Curie and her husband Pierre discovered that it somehow became even more radioactive.
Actinium-227 is the primary natural source of francium, while only trace amounts can be found in minerals of uranium and thorium.
New Zealand high schools and universities are permitted to keep a pound of uranium or thorium for educational purposes. There is a $1 million fine if it explodes.
Thorium used in LFTR is 200x more efficient than using uranium in traditional LWR. While still not perfected, this technology has been around for almost 70 years. - source
When will thorium replace uranium?
In New Zealand, every high school is entitled to 1 pound of uranium and 1 pound of thorium for experimentation. (Under the Nuclear Test Ban Act, though, there is a fine of $1 million for creating nuclear explosions)
How thorium is converted to uranium?
Thorium Nuclear Reactors are safer, more abundant, less environmentally toxic, and has a yield of 200x that of uranium and 3500000x of coal
Thorium is an alternative clean, safe, abundant source of nuclear energy with a power density greater than uranium.
