Geeking Out on Thorium
Carl and Richard talk to Donald Larson, a combination technology and nuclear scientist, about power from thorium. The conversation begins with thorium, a low-level radioactive metal that is three times more abundant than uranium and available all over the world, often found as a byproduct of other mining efforts. Don talks about the advantages of the thorium fuel cycle, how it cannot be used to make weapons-grade radioactives and doesn't require expensive pre-processing to be usable for power. From there the topic of molten salt reactors (MSR) is explored. MSRs can use radioactive materials besides thorium and have a number of safety advantages, not the least of which is being able to continuously refuel, have passive safety systems and an ability to utilize radioactive fuel more efficiently. The future of power is thorium!
Guests:
Donald Larson
Don Larson has spent over 15 years in information technology, engineering, and sales. His experience includes serving in the roles of CIO, General Manager, VP Sales, Chief Engineer and other positions at a number of companies and clients.
Don is the CEO at My Cash Position a Software as Service provider delivering Financial Management Solutions to firms without a full-time CFO office. Previously, he founded MCF Technology Solutions, a Cleveland business focused on automating business processes with web based solutions. The clients ranged from small million-dollar firms to the Fortune 100. He spent three years with a Cleveland-based software firm taking it from zero to multimillions in revenue. He worked at WireWay, Inc as the General Manager, a nationally recognized manufacturer of raceway systems for industrial control components. The Cleveland-based firm is a national innovator in the controls market for over thirty years.
He also has served as manufacturer’s representative for several Fortune 100 companies in the Industrial Controls and Power Electronics Industry such as UPS equipment, switch gear and variable frequency drives. Prior to an active sales role, he led an engineering department in one of the manufacturing divisions of Elf Aquitaine building capital equipment. The company served the automotive industry in both the plating and laboratory testing fields.
He spent five years on active duty in the U.S. Navy, serving at multiple duty stations, leaving the Navy as a Lieutenant. Mr. Larson founded a weekly radio program, Capitalist Cleveland, that concentrates on entrepreneurial business development in North East Ohio.
Don holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in Nuclear Engineering from The Ohio State University. He also has an MBA from The Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western Reserve University.
Links:
- IEEE Spectrum Story on Water http://spectrum.ieee.org/static/special-report-water-vs-energy
- Thorium in Norway http://singularityhub.com/2012/12/11/norway-begins-four-year-test-of-thorium-nuclear-reactor/
- Energy from Thorium http://energyfromthorium.com/