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Chinese government scientists have unveiled plans for the world’s first experimental nuclear reactor that does not require water for cooling. It will run on liquid thorium instead of uranium and as per the reports, it is expected to be safer than the traditional reactors. Simply because molten salt cools and hardens rapidly when exposed to air, it isolates the thorium, which means that a potential leak emits very little radiation to the environment compared to a leak from a traditional reactor.

When will it be completed?

The prototype reactor is expected to be completed in August and the first tests will begin in September. This prototype has been developed by the team at the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics. This test will pave the way for the construction of the first commercial reactor of its kind, which is expected to be built in 2030. Since this type of reactor does not require water, it can be operated in desert areas. The desert city of Wuwei is chosen as the site for the first reactor, and the Chinese government plans to build more reactors in the plains and deserts of western China.

About Thorium

Named after the Norse god of thunder Thor, thorium is a radioactive, silvery metal. It is more abundant and cheaper when compared with uranium, and this metal cannot be easily used to create nuclear weapons. The advantages of thorium don’t stop here, there is much more to uncover. Instead of fuel rods, molten salt reactors work by dissolving thorium in liquid fluoride salt before this mixture is introduced into the reactor chamber at temperatures above 600 degrees Celsius.

President Xi Jinping’s plans to make China carbon-neutral by 2060 and this new reactor is a part of that plan.

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