MR. SORENSEN: Thank you. Commissioners, it is my pleasure to participate in this meeting and address you today.
Yesterday, there were a number of discussions on the nuclear fuel cycle. These seemed to focus on whether or not fuel recycles should take place, and if it does, whether it should proceed in a thermal spectrum reactor, like our light water reactors, or if it should proceed in a fast spectrum reactor, of which the most commonly discussed type is based on solid fuel, cooled by liquid sodium. Another way to view these two options is that one represents the consumption of uranium-235, which is our only naturally occurring fissile material, and the other represents the consumption of uranium-238 and its derivatives, primarily plutonium-239. Due to the specific properties of uranium-238 and plutonium-239, they can only be consumed in a sustainable manner, in a fast spectrum reactor.
There’s another option that receives relatively little attention, but has compelling attributes, and that is the use of natural thorium in nuclear reactors. Thorium is fertile, and can be converted into a fissile nuclide, uranium-233 inside a reactor core. Uranium-233 has the compelling attribute of being able to produce enough neutrons in thermal spectrum fission to continue the conversion of thorium to uranium- 233 and then into energy.
Early in the nuclear age, it was realized that this special property had superlative value. Luminaries like Eugene Wigner and Alvin Weinberg worked to develop nuclear reactors based on liquid fuels. Research focused on a fluoride fuel formed, because it was the only appropriate liquid into which thorium could be dissolved as a true solution. Weinberg’s research and development program at Oakridge in the 1960s showed that it was possible to build and safely operate liquid fluoride thorium reactors.
The fluoride fuel form is particularly compelling, since it represents the most chemically stable form of nuclear fuel. In fact, all of our nuclear fuel goes through a fluoride form in today’s nuclear fuel cycle, preparatory to enrichment. We know how to turn uranium oxide into uranium fluoride, and we do it everyday at conversion plants. Then we successfully use uranium fluoride in enrichment plants. Many of these technological accomplishments are directly applicable to the use of uranium and thorium fluorides and fluid fueled reactors.
Thorium’s performance means that it’s possible to build a reactor that once started on fissile material, requires no additional fissile input, and runs only on thorium. This has profound consequences for energy future. For instance, if this small steel sphere represented metallic thorium, this would represent the volume of thorium that it would take to provide all the energy you (an individual persons energy needs ) would need in a normal lifetime in a liquid fluoride thorium reactor.
Fluoride reactor technologies can also be used to help solve our current nuclear waste concerns. Our spent uranium oxide could be fluorinated into a fluoride fuel form. Once converted, it is straight forward to move the uranium that comprises roughly 95 percent of spent nuclear fuel into uranium hexafluoride gas that could be removed and potentially recycled.
The same nuclear technology that allows us to use thorium could also be used to destroy plutonium while extracting electrical energy.
Fluoride fuels would not require the long and lengthy fuel qualification program that solid fuels require.

Fluoride fuels are impervious to radiation damage due to their ionic chemical bonds. They do not swell, crack or undergo bold property changes, even under stronger radiation.

The base fluoride can be used and reused essentially forever, by adding fuel and removing fission products periodically.

I encourage the Commission to strongly consider the potential benefits of using fluid-fueled reactor technology to solve our current nuclear waste concerns, as well as to open a bright, new energy future based on the effective use of natural thorium. Thank you.