Solar power & Wind Power for residental use

[buickanddeere]

I saw a TV program 2 days ago and a Aussie Inventor has a new battery that uses zinc and a gel that makes it extremely efficient. It can charge in a few minutes and has a much better output than anything available at present.
Due to be released fairly soon I understand and can be used with solar.
Big advances being made at present.
I personally use a lot of LiPo batteries so it will be great when they are replaced with something more efficient and safer.

Complex Expensive Toxic and no real advantages. Plates have shorting out problems . zinc battery energy density.zinc battery energy density

zinc battery energy density
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc–bromine_battery

 

[buickanddeere]

Good evening Sir Knight.
Yes, I was aware of the nature of the new additions. Doesn't mean I understand though.

Transmuting thorium232 into U233 is not news. Just use a breeder reactor .

 

[Egon]

Transmuting thorium232 into U233 is not news. Just use a breeder reactor .

Give us the complete details.

 

[buickanddeere]

Give us the complete details.

The nuclear theory is beyond the scope of this type of forum. Take it on faith. A PHWR can be fueled with U235/238 that will provide neutrons to make the fertile TH232 transmute into fissionable U233. The process also breeds some fissionable PU239.

 

[KennyG]

Give us the complete details.

In a high neutron flux, Thorium 232 captures a neutron becoming Thorium 233. Th 233 is very unstable and quickly decays by Beta decay, which turns a neutron into a proton and emits an electron (beta ray). This results in Practinium 233 which is also unstable and, when it Beta decays, it becomes Uranium 233 which is fissionable when it captures a neutron.

 

[Egon]

In a high neutron flux, Thorium 232 captures a neutron becoming Thorium 233. Th 233 is very unstable and quickly decays by Beta decay, which turns a neutron into a proton and emits an electron (beta ray). This results in Practinium 233 which is also unstable and, when it Beta decays, it becomes Uranium 233 which is fissionable when it captures a neutron.

What confuses me is how the thorium gets down to less than 120. Or how thorium is involved with the new elements?

 

[KennyG]

What confuses me is how the thorium gets down to less than 120. Or how thorium is involved with the new elements?

Less than 120? Elements are defined by atomic number which is the number of protons. Thorium is atomic number 90, Uranium 92. The atomic weight is the number of protons plus neutrons. So Thorium 232 has 90 protons and 142 neutrons. It is not really possible to directly add or subtract a proton from the nucleus of an atom. It is however possible for some atoms to "capture" a neutron. This usually results in a very unstable atom. In the case of Uranium 233, Uranium 235, or Plutonium 239 it usually results in a fission reaction, giving off lots of energy. However, Thorium 232 or Uranium 238 capture the neutron resulting in a new unstable isotope (Th-233 or U-239).

The decay mode for those isotopes is beta decay which is the breakdown of a neutron into a proton and an electron (and miscellaneous subatomic particles). Because the nucleus now has one more proton and one less neutron it is now a different element. Two beta decays changes the atomic number by two. Therefore Th (90) goes to Uranium (92) and Uranium (92) goes to Plutonium (94). Alchemy!

 

[Egon]

Thank you.

 

[MossRoad]

Hey, the Germans are made some hydrogen plasma last week.... :thumbsup:

 

[Egon]

Hey, the Germans are made some hydrogen plasma last week.... :thumbsup:

A new development??

General question: why is high density seemingly required for very large storage systems that are not space limited?