- Information about:
- Studying here
- Courses
- News and events
- Job vacancies
- Our Schools and Departments
- University Campuses
- Information for:
- Students
- Business
- Researchers
- Former students
- Staff
Scientists assembled for the recent Thorium Energy Amplifier Association (ThorEA) conference, hosted by the University of Huddersfield, were urged by the Physics Nobel Laureate and former Director of CERN, Professor Carlo Rubbia, "to dream the unthinkable because we desperately need new ideas" in the search for a solution to global demands for low carbon energy production.
Professor Bob Cywinski (right) with Nobel Laureate Professor Carlo Rubbia
ThorEA, a unique grouping of internationally-acknowledged experts in particle accelerators, nuclear engineering and materials science explained at the Huddersfield conference how it has risen to the challenge: ThorEA believes that it has found the solution in an alternative and more sustainable form of nuclear energy based not upon uranium, but upon thorium. ThorEA is also committed to the vision that conventional nuclear reactors could be replaced by thorium-fuelled accelerator-driven sub-critical 'energy amplifiers', a concept first promoted over a decade ago by Carlo Rubbia.
Professor Rubbia delivered the keynote lecture at the ThorEA conference held recently in Huddersfield where ambitious plans to place the UK at the very forefront of this advanced energy generation technology were unveiled. ThorEA presented details of how a seven year, £80M strategic investment would enable the development of all of the accelerator, reactor core and materials technology that would be necessary to start construction of a prototype 600MW thorium fuelled power station that is technically, environmentally and economically acceptable.
ThorEA has named its project AESIR (Accelerator Energy Systems with In-built Reliability)
Organiser of the conference and ThorEA Vice-Chairman, Professor Bob Cywinski of the University of Huddersfield, says: "The technology behind the thorium energy amplifier solution provides an extremely exciting and attractive challenge to our young scientists and engineers. AESIR will offer them the opportunity to put the UK at the cutting-edge of sustainable and safe low carbon energy production."
The Chairman of ThorEA, Professor Roger Barlow from the University of Manchester, also comments: "The AESIR project opens the door to many new opportunities for UK industry. The advanced technology that will be developed as part of the thorium energy amplifier project will certainly be attractive to a global market."
ThorEA believes that the AESIR thorium-fuelled energy amplifier project represents a real and attractive contribution to the UK's energy strategy. ThorEA is currently involved in discussions with both research councils and industry to explore potential funding routes that will allow its remarkable project to be realised.
(i) The Energy Amplifier (EA) or Accelerator Driven Sub-critical Reactor (ADSR) is a three-component system composed of (a) a high-energy proton accelerator (b) a spallation target (c) a sub-critical nuclear core surrounding the spallation target. The core - on its own - is incapable of undergoing of sustaining a fission chain reaction. However, high energy protons from the accelerator 'spall' or chip neutrons from the atoms in the spallation target. These neutrons then induce fission in the nuclear core. A few percent of the energy generated by the core is then used to power the accelerator. If the accelerator is switched off the fission process - and therefore the reactor -stops.
(ii) Thorium is four times more plentiful than uranium in the earth's crust. Unlike uranium - which in conventional reactors must be processed to extract the tiny amount of uranium-235 in the fuel that is useful - all of the thorium dug from the ground can be usefully burnt. When used in an energy amplifier thorium fuel produces far less radiotoxic waste than any other nuclear fuel, and the energy amplifier process can also be used to 'eat' spent waste from conventional reactors.
(iii) Details of the Thorium Energy Amplifier Association can be found at www.thorea.org. The ThorEA Executive Committee is drawn from academics at the Universities of Manchester, Huddersfield and Cambridge.
For further information, please contact one of the following members of the ThorEA Executive:
- Professor Bob Cywinski, University of Huddersfield
Tel: 01484 473013
E-mail: r.cywinski@hud.ac.uk
- Professor Roger Barlow, University of Manchester
Tel: 0161 257 4178
E-mail: roger.barlow@manchester.ac.uk
- Dr Geoffrey Parks, University of Cambridge
Tel: 01223 748553
E-mail: gtp10@cam.ac.uk
- Dr William Nuttall, University of Cambridge
Tel: 01223 766506
E-mail: w.nuttall@jbs.cam.ac.uk
Find out more about our
Postgraduate, Part-time and Undergraduate courses.
Our Studying here section provides details for those thinking about Huddersfield as a place of study.
The University's Research and Enterprise website contains details on our research activity.
Visit our Alumni Society website if you're a former student and want to know what other graduates are doing.
