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Thorium Based Propulsion Systems: Name: G.N.V.Surendra ID: 2017H1480139H

1) Thorium is being explored as an alternative fuel source due to its abundance and ability to generate heat through nuclear processes. 2) The document describes two thorium-based propulsion systems under laboratory development - a photonic laser thruster that uses beta rays from thorium decay to power photon beams and propel mirrors, and a thorium plasma battery system that uses lasers to ionize gases and generate electric current. 3) Thorium has advantages over uranium like greater abundance, easier control of nuclear reactions, and producing less radioactive waste; however it also requires higher temperatures to use and its radioactivity declines faster, contributing to it being less popular than uranium so far.

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Naga Venkata Surendra Gannamani
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185 views2 pages

Thorium Based Propulsion Systems: Name: G.N.V.Surendra ID: 2017H1480139H

1) Thorium is being explored as an alternative fuel source due to its abundance and ability to generate heat through nuclear processes. 2) The document describes two thorium-based propulsion systems under laboratory development - a photonic laser thruster that uses beta rays from thorium decay to power photon beams and propel mirrors, and a thorium plasma battery system that uses lasers to ionize gases and generate electric current. 3) Thorium has advantages over uranium like greater abundance, easier control of nuclear reactions, and producing less radioactive waste; however it also requires higher temperatures to use and its radioactivity declines faster, contributing to it being less popular than uranium so far.

Uploaded by

Naga Venkata Surendra Gannamani
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NAME: G.N.V.

SURENDRA
ID: 2017H1480139H

THORIUM BASED PROPULSION SYSTEMS

INTRODUCTION:
Thorium is considered as one of the alternative forms to the exhausting
fuels despite of its radio-active nature. A large part of heat generated in the
earth’s core is actually due to the nuclear processes involving thorium. Almost
30% of the world’s thorium reserves were in India. Conversion to thorium
based energy generation process would highly accounts for the country’s
economic growth.
A variety of propulsion systems based on thorium were at the laboratory
level of development and sooner would be to reality. The following is a brief
description of those systems along with their working principles.
THORIUM BASED PHOTONIC LASER THRUSTER:
Thorium based propulsion system is a laser beam powered propulsion system
which uses photonic laser thruster to generate the required thrust force. The
laser beam is generated when β-rays emitted during the radioactive decay of
thorium is made to pass through the surrounding gas molecules.

Fig.1-PHOTONIC LASER THRUSTER


Principle of working:
Thorium based photonic thruster’s works on the principle similar to solar sail. A
high energy density photon beam is made to focus on a series of mirrors as
shown below in which the energy absorbed by the mirrors from photons heats
up the surrounding gas that creates pressure and temperatures differences which
is the driving force for propulsion.

Fig.2-SOLAR SAIL
THORIUM PLASMA BATTERY SYSTEMS:
These are the opto-nuclear electric battery systems which uses high intensity
laser beam to excite the electrons in the surrounding gases at one region. The
EMF potential generated between ionized and non-ionized regions drives the
current.

ADVANTAGES OF THORIUM OVER URANIUM:


1. Abundantly available than compared to uranium.
2. Control on chain reaction involving thorium is better than compared to
that of uranium as chain initiation requires minimum of 2 neutrons
whereas for uranium only one neutron is required.
3. Limited radio-active debris.
4. Less Dangerous, less expensive and more accessible than uranium
WHY THORIUM ISN’T POPULAR COMPARED TO URANIUM
1. Higher temperatures are required to produce thorium.
2. Loose radio-activity much faster than uranium.

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