 Betsy Agar Sep 9, 2017 01:43  | As I said about another proposal, I am really pleased to see people think about waste energy. From what I can see, you are positing that salt reactors are not being appreciated for their broader outputs, e.g. heat, that could be captured in addition to the electricity that is usually the primary purpose of a salt reactor, correct? I am imagining Combined Heat and Power plants that use natural gas for both heat and electricity, in this case putting the energy where it is needed--either for heating or electrifying--at any given time. Also, I am not clear what actions you are proposing to have supported through this contest. Are you piloting something? Are furthering research? Are you testing? What would the winnings of this contest fund? |
 Robby Kile Sep 10, 2017 05:22  | Proposal contributor Thanks Betsy. You are correct. The heat outputs of a molten salt reactor could be used to decarbonize several other sources of emissions-- not just the electricity sector. We plan to use the $10,000 to make this critical technology more salient among business leaders, policy makers, and activists--many of whom are unaware of the potential of the molten salt reactor. The $10,000 would be used to assist in production and impact amplification of Generation Atomic’s in-production short video campaign that articulates the possible applications of molten salt reactors, and their potential benefits to humankind. |
 Yanming Wei Sep 14, 2017 06:22 | A canada company is doing this business: |
Robby Kile Sep 18, 2017 08:16 | Proposal contributor Terrestrial Energy's work was part of the inspiration for this proposal. |
Alan Medsker Sep 19, 2017 05:14 | While there are private sector efforts to design, develop and build MSRs, to use for electricity and also process heat, public opinion and national policy have huge effects on the time required to do this, and even the viability, as NRC regulations must be updated to recognize and manage this type of reactor design. Imaging if we had the excitement and support behind this technology that the solar and wind world enjoys. For as many limitations as those technologies have, they are being deployed in many places because people like them. MSRs are much superior, so people should like them also. Efforts to make that happen can make a huge difference. |
 Achal Hp Sep 21, 2017 01:16 | In India, coal is the fuel for majority of industrial process heating. This is because we do not have access to cheap natural gas which is ideal for Cogeneration. Burning coal creates so many problems ranging from air pollution to fly-ash management. Transportation of coal also requires energy and dedicated infrastructure. A non-polluting, cheap and scalable source of high temperature heat can replace most of coal based process heating. India's energy policy focuses on using solar-thermal systems for process heat. However, to make high temperature heat concentrating-solar systems require large areas of land. It cannot be located near industrial areas where land is costly. A nuclear reactor will require less land and can be located close to the industry which requires process heat. Molten-salt reactors can be ideal for replacing coal if they are available at low-cost. Molten-salts are excellent fluids for transport of heat. Molten-salts can transport high temperature heat at low pressures. I think molten-salt reactors have the potential to compete with coal on cost. |
Vinay Arora May 28, 2020 09:53 | Pollution Free Heating Technology is the need of the hour. Our Climate is Changing because of our anthropogenic activities. Not only Industrial, but Domestic energy Consumption should also be taken into account if we really want to achieve the desired results. One of the most use of energy,electricity, is used in Heating water and space as in countries with intense cold. A major part of these heat is obtained by direct heating using gas or electric heater. An alternate way to heat is by using Heat pump whose efficiency is always more than 100%. These Heat pumps can also be employed to pre heat water before converting it to steam as steam is widely used source of process Heating. |
