Brothers, let's talk about a real "national treasure"! A few days ago, the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced a big news: the 2-megawatt thorium molten salt experimental reactor located in the Gansu desert has successfully achieved the nuclear fuel conversion from thorium to uranium for the first time! This sounds professional, but you just need to know what it means: China has dropped an undeniable "ace" in the fourth-generation nuclear energy field! It also equals to finding a perfect nuclear power package for the CV-004 aircraft carrier.

Why is it called an "ace"? Because with this technology, we not only solved the nuclear energy problem that Americans have been struggling with for half a century, but also directly declared that before the new energy structure is fully formed, China may achieve a hard-core "overtaking on the same road" by relying on this "super black technology"! It not only can light up city lights, but also provide continuous power for future warships, and even supply energy for weapons in science fiction movies!

What exactly does the thorium molten salt reactor solve in one go? This is not just a technical breakthrough; it solves four core strategic problems that have plagued China's energy and military strategy:

Firstly, it completely solves the "nuclear fuel bottleneck" issue.

What is the biggest pain point in China's nuclear energy development? Uranium is not enough! We consume more than 80% of the uranium we use every year, which is imported. Once the international situation changes, we could be "strangled" at any moment, posing a huge risk to energy security. The thorium molten salt reactor directly replaces the scarce uranium with more abundant thorium.

Our country has a large reserve of thorium. With so much thorium, we won't have to rely on importing uranium resources from abroad anymore. We can handle our nuclear fuel independently, and our self-reliance immediately improves!

Secondly, the "heart disease" of warships and submarines is cured.

Nuclear-powered warships and submarines are a must for a strong country, but traditional nuclear submarines have large reactors and high fuel requirements. The thorium molten salt reactor, because of its small size and stable safety, is the ideal "heart" for warships and submarines!

In the future, our aircraft carriers, large supply ships, and even the next generation of submarines can use nuclear power more safely and efficiently, with unlimited range, providing reliable energy support for the ocean-going navy. Not everyone is talking about whether the CV-004 aircraft carrier will use nuclear or conventional power? In fact, as long as the thorium molten salt reactor matures, everything becomes perfect, right? It's small, safe, cheap, and has infinite energy. Isn't that appealing?

Thirdly, the problem of nuclear waste disposal is resolved.

Traditional nuclear power plants produce a large amount of long-lived radioactive nuclear waste, which is expensive and troublesome to deal with, being the biggest obstacle to the promotion of nuclear power. The thorium molten salt reactor uses liquid fuel and can process it online, significantly reducing the long-lived waste. This means that the storage and disposal of nuclear waste problems are greatly simplified, and the safety is doubled, effectively alleviating the public's fear of nuclear energy.

Finally, the "power station" for directed energy weapons is in place.

This is the most sci-fi part! In future wars, laser weapons and electromagnetic guns (directed energy weapons) will be the core. These weapons have the characteristics of requiring instantaneous, massive power supply. The thorium molten salt reactor can provide this stable and powerful energy output. Its successful deployment on board means we create better conditions for equipping future warships with laser weapons, achieving a leap from "firepower" to "energy"!

How will the thorium molten salt reactor change our lives and the world order?

Many people think that "artificial sun" nuclear fusion is the ultimate future. However, the maturity of the thorium molten salt reactor provides humanity with an opportunity for large-scale application and changing the energy structure before the artificial sun becomes mature:

The great transformation of the energy structure. Because the thorium molten salt reactor is safe and has sufficient fuel, it can be used as a small, modular nuclear power plant, built in cities, industrial parks, and even remote areas in deserts (such as the location of our experimental reactor, Minqin County in Gansu). It can stably provide electricity, becoming the ultimate clean energy to replace coal and natural gas, accelerating the pace of our energy transition.

A model of "overtaking on the same road" in the technological strategy. The concept of the thorium molten salt reactor was actually first proposed by the United States in the 1960s, but due to various reasons, it was abandoned. China took over the baton and, through decades of effort, has turned it from theory into reality and achieved fuel conversion first.

This is not just a victory of technology, but also a victory of strategic vision. We have run to the front in a track that was ignored by the West!

If the thorium molten salt reactor is successfully developed, China will truly achieve "taking a different path and overtaking on the same road" in nuclear energy!

It is like a calming pill that makes us feel secure about our energy security; it is like a powerful accelerator that pushes our navy toward modernization; it is also a world-class business card that proves to the world that China has the ability to break the existing strategic balance through innovation. The world's grand pattern is slowly changing because of it!

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7568748492173132324/

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