T. Keating wrote:
> On Tue, 19 Aug 2008 07:44:28 -0700 (PDT), nada 
> wrote:
>
> >On Aug 18, 7:36 pm, T. Keating  wrote:
> >> On Mon, 18 Aug 2008 18:45:51 -0700 (PDT), dave.walt...@comcast.net
> >> wrote:
> >>
> >> Snip...
> >>
> >> The technology claim is feasible based on many flawed premises..
> >>   You're wrong on  almost every count..
> >>    Hot Graphite burns when exposed to our atmosphere.  Obviously..
> >>
> >>    The reactor was not designed to produce electricity and was quite a
> >> mess to cleanup.. (40 years after being shutdown.)   So much for
> >> reprocessing the fuel in near real time.
> >>
> >> You claim only thermal neutron breeding.
> >>      That's not going to yield a breeding ratio anywhere near
> >> approaching one(1).   (which is not necessary goal for military
> >> purposes.)
> >>
> >> Only a fast breeder is going to reach those goals.
> >>
> >> Therefore  you will NEVER EVER be free of the requirements for fresh
> >> inputs of Pu or HEU.    Base case you've only extended the supply of
> >> fuel by 30 to 40%.    Most of which will  be gone by the end of this
> >> century.
> >>
> >> End of story..
> >
> >When you can find a physicist that agrees with you please do. The
> >neutron splitting of thorium into Pa and Pa decay rate into U233 is
> >well known. That's why YOU have no data to disprove the breeding ratio
> >of a LFTR. There are 600,000 tons of high grade (50% purity) thorium
> >in Idaho. Enough to power ALL of the US energy needs to 1000 years.
> >Comeback again T. when you understand the subject under discussing.
> >Oh, please don't forget some documentation that shows the breeding
> >ration. I provided links from esblished experiments. You haven't, and
> >can't.
>
> I've seen no actual experiments claiming breeding ratios above
> unity.(1.0).
>
> Especially a molten salt based reactor, (aborbs too many neutrons).
> Your entire premise is flawed.

I'm not sure where you get this idea. FLi7Be salt is very
neutronically efficient, especially with the Be -> 2n reactions.
Everyone for the past 40 years has come to the conclusion that a FLiBe
salt run on the Th/U233 cycle has a breeding ratio above one.

You might want to comment on why all the papers from ORNL and various
other organizations come to breeding ratios of up to 1.1 in the
thermal spectrum. I've never read any report by any credible engineer
that suggested otherwise.