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A million miles on 8 grams of fuel!

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago

I just came across an article on a science website (can't post a link).


" In breaking news on the energy and technology front, Laser Power Systems, a U.S. company based out of Connecticut is developing a method of automotive propulsion using the element thorium to produce electricity. The results far surpass anything currently powering automobiles. To put it in perspective, 8 grams of Thorium produce enough power for a car to drive 1 million miles.

Thorium is similar in structure to the element uranium. Because it is an incredibly a dense material it has the potential to produce tremendous heat, and thus energy.

Charles Stevens, the CEO of Laser Power Systems CEO, explains that just one gram of thorium yields more energy than 28,000 liters of gasoline. Just eight grams of thorium, Stevens explains, would produce more energy than the vehicle could use in its entire life, without the need for refueling… ever.

Stevens explained in an interview with Ward’s Auto, that small pieces of thorium have been used to generate heat, being positioned to create a thorium laser in the vehicle. The laser heats water which produces steam, which in turn powers a series of “mini-turbines.”

The entire engine weighs only about 500 lbs and is light and compact enough to fit under the hood of any conventional vehicle.

Stevens and his 40 employees are now trying to answer the question of: “How do you take the laser and put these things together efficiently?”

The question is not, however, “if” they can get it to work, but “when” they can get it efficiently produced. When they do, they will have a vehicle that “will wear out before the engine. There is no oil, no emissions –nothing.”

Far from conceptual, this has worked in the thorium-powered 2009, Cadillac World Thorium Fuel Concept, presented by Loren Kulesus. Aside from adjusting this innovative model’s 24 tyres every five years, Kulesus explained that nothing else would need to be added to the vehicle, including fuel for more than a century of use."

So maybe in the not too distant future we won't be needing to fill our cars up!

Yeah, I'm taking it with a pinch of saolt but it bears thinking about I guess...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

That would stop me forgetting to put petrol in and running out of petrol!!

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By *ittle_brat_evie!!Woman
over a year ago

evesham

How much will it cost per gram?!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

So what's the drawback?

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"So what's the drawback? "

I'm guessing the fuel, being dense, would be radioactive. Imagine having a crash!

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By *cottishrichMan
over a year ago

Here and there


"So what's the drawback?

I'm guessing the fuel, being dense, would be radioactive. Imagine having a crash!"

Thorium is a fissionable material and is much more abundant than uranium, the only reason we don't use it in nuclear reactors is because it is much more difficult to weaponise, therefore most of the research went into uranium enrichment and plutonium production.

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By *eMontresMan
over a year ago

Halesowen

It's using nuclear fission to produce the energy.

Even though it's safer than Uranium fission, there's still the long half life waste products to consider, and it is possible to create a thorium fueled atomic bomb. So we sell thorium fission nuclear reactors in cars and terrorists the world over have a field day.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Downside?

You'd need a long leccy cable to plug the laser in

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"It's using nuclear fission to produce the energy.

Even though it's safer than Uranium fission, there's still the long half life waste products to consider, and it is possible to create a thorium fueled atomic bomb. So we sell thorium fission nuclear reactors in cars and terrorists the world over have a field day."

They're not using fission and it won't be weapons grade/enriched. A fission reactor would weight considerably more than 500lbs as quoted in the article.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"So what's the drawback?

I'm guessing the fuel, being dense, would be radioactive. Imagine having a crash!"

This dense fuel, does it live in a council house?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"So what's the drawback?

I'm guessing the fuel, being dense, would be radioactive. Imagine having a crash!"

Good point though we could then ban anyone who was a pants driver from having one. I just wish we could do that with the cars we have now.

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"So what's the drawback?

I'm guessing the fuel, being dense, would be radioactive. Imagine having a crash!

This dense fuel, does it live in a council house?

"

It's considered dense because it has appeared on Jeremy Kyle!

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By *ee VianteWoman
over a year ago

Somewhere in North Norfolk

It's not dense, it's just curvy!!!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"It's not dense, it's just curvy!!! "

And blonde?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Is the hydrogen powered car the way forward?

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By *mm_n_ZedCouple
over a year ago

Fareham

The cars come fully fuelled ... and only costs £1 a mile to run - that's just a million quid to you guv!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

The drawback is you end up with radioactive waste and some VERY dangerous cars driving about the place. It's nuclear fission.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Is the hydrogen powered car the way forward?"

A million miles in reverse? Some f*ckers can't mange 10 yards safely.

So, yes.

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By *cottishrichMan
over a year ago

Here and there


"The drawback is you end up with radioactive waste and some VERY dangerous cars driving about the place. It's nuclear fission."

Not very dangerous at all, you're talking about roughly a teaspoon full of material, the radiation from which can be blocked by wrapping it in tin foil.

Critical mass of thorium is about 15 kilos, that's three thousand cars worth.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"The drawback is you end up with radioactive waste and some VERY dangerous cars driving about the place. It's nuclear fission.

Not very dangerous at all, you're talking about roughly a teaspoon full of material, the radiation from which can be blocked by wrapping it in tin foil.

Critical mass of thorium is about 15 kilos, that's three thousand cars worth. "

Have you not seen Meadowhall's car park on a Bank Holiday? Or most days.

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"The drawback is you end up with radioactive waste and some VERY dangerous cars driving about the place. It's nuclear fission."

I'm fairly sure that the wouldn't have sunk millions (possibly tens of millions) on researching this technology if it was in some way going to cause nuclear incidents and radioactive contamination everywhere it went, its even less likely they'd publish the possibilities if that were the case too. Besides, its probably decades away. We'll all be driving hydrogen powered cars before this idea becomes a viable reality. I just thought it was an interesting concept...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Better as a fuel for much larger vehicles,.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

.....But that would mean that the vast reserves of American oil - worth countless trillions - are all of a sudden worthless; - now, I can't see that happening, can you?????

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


".....But that would mean that the vast reserves of American oil - worth countless trillions - are all of a sudden worthless; - now, I can't see that happening, can you????? "

Hardly worthless, oil has far more applications than just petrol or diesel...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Nothing that can't be replaced!

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By *londeCazWoman
over a year ago

Arse End of the Universe, Cumbria


"It's not dense, it's just curvy!!! "

Thorium is also known as Heavy Water if I remember right - I may start a campaign to rename it Big Beautiful Water

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By *orny1103Man
over a year ago

Walsall

The concept sounds interesting,and we already have a viable alternative in the form of hydrogen fuel cells and how many cars using that technology have you seen on the road?

Think how much governments around the world (especially ours!) make in tax per gallon of fuel.

It maybe cynical, but there is too many parties interested in keeping us driving petrol and diesel vehicles.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

If you don't have to go to garage any more, where will I buy the forecourt flowers that always smell of diesel, the wife loves them.

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By (user no longer on site) OP   
over a year ago


"It's not dense, it's just curvy!!!

Thorium is also known as Heavy Water if I remember right - I may start a campaign to rename it Big Beautiful Water "

Thorium is a heavy metal/element. Heavy water is also called deuterium oxide.

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By *ee VianteWoman
over a year ago

Somewhere in North Norfolk


"It's not dense, it's just curvy!!!

Thorium is also known as Heavy Water if I remember right - I may start a campaign to rename it Big Beautiful Water

Thorium is a heavy metal/element. Heavy water is also called deuterium oxide."

Curvy metal, please! BBM!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Deuterium is an isotope of Hydrogen, hence heavy water.

The way forward for cars is hydrogen. Use tidal, wave, wind solar etc to disassociate water into hydrogen and oxygen (not brilliantly efficient but it's clean energy), Roberta's your uncle's TV persona!

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By *cottishrichMan
over a year ago

Here and there


"The drawback is you end up with radioactive waste and some VERY dangerous cars driving about the place. It's nuclear fission.

Not very dangerous at all, you're talking about roughly a teaspoon full of material, the radiation from which can be blocked by wrapping it in tin foil.

Critical mass of thorium is about 15 kilos, that's three thousand cars worth.

Have you not seen Meadowhall's car park on a Bank Holiday? Or most days. "

Sorry, your point is? Is some pikey going to break into three thousand cars to steal enough mildy radioactive material then somehow manage to enrich it and weaponise it? The critical mass for Americium is about the same but the terrorists aren't nicking all of our old smoke alarms now are they? Just because something is radioactive and/or fissile doesn't mean that you can make a bomb out of it in your garden shed.

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