I watched the video, and didn't seem to be presented with any evidence save for the fact that "Thorium energy is awesome and will save the world!" I googled a few things, and lo and behold, most of what I can find seems to be more along the lines of testimonials rather than evidence. I did find one site that had some fairly impressive statistics regarding the size of the reactor and its energy production capabilities. This is where I draw my question.
As a former Navy nuke, a reactor like this would do immense favors for the navy. As it stands now, reactor spaces on an aircraft carrier account for about 1/3 of the ships total volume. Most of these spaces are actually either support systems or propulsion systems that utilize the reactor's power, but nonetheless, a very large portion of the ship is utilized for the very big reactor, and it's necessary auxiliary systems. Why, then, has the Navy not pursued this type of energy? Every nuke has in them the same spirit of ingenuity that Admiral Rickover had, regardless of how much they hate the Navy (yes we all hate it!). A reactor like this would save so much space, reduce a bunch of cost, basically make our current warships so many times better. So why, Kirk, has the Navy, who should be more concerned about proper reactor operation and the safety of this country, not pursued such a dream?
shipmate10 karma
Hey kirk, I have a question for you.
I watched the video, and didn't seem to be presented with any evidence save for the fact that "Thorium energy is awesome and will save the world!" I googled a few things, and lo and behold, most of what I can find seems to be more along the lines of testimonials rather than evidence. I did find one site that had some fairly impressive statistics regarding the size of the reactor and its energy production capabilities. This is where I draw my question.
As a former Navy nuke, a reactor like this would do immense favors for the navy. As it stands now, reactor spaces on an aircraft carrier account for about 1/3 of the ships total volume. Most of these spaces are actually either support systems or propulsion systems that utilize the reactor's power, but nonetheless, a very large portion of the ship is utilized for the very big reactor, and it's necessary auxiliary systems. Why, then, has the Navy not pursued this type of energy? Every nuke has in them the same spirit of ingenuity that Admiral Rickover had, regardless of how much they hate the Navy (yes we all hate it!). A reactor like this would save so much space, reduce a bunch of cost, basically make our current warships so many times better. So why, Kirk, has the Navy, who should be more concerned about proper reactor operation and the safety of this country, not pursued such a dream?
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