[Upbeat music]
So, right now we are standing in the Molten Salt Research Laboratory,
where we'll figure out the components- the soup that the- that the nuclear fuel
will be- be molten into, in the molten salt nuclear reactor.
So, one common question we're asked is: "Molten salt?"
So, the salt is similar to table salt, which is sodium chloride.
But you can make salt out of a number of elements.
So, you can also use fluorides, and you can- instead of sodium
you can use beryllium and lithium, and so...
Those are the types of elements that are utilized in these molten salt reactors.
Then with the addition of either uranium or thorium as a nuclear fuel source.
Also, here is a picture of University of Utah's TRIGA
research nuclear reactor, which is- which is up in Salt Lake City.
And you'll notice that you can see directly to the reactor.
This reactor is actually critical, and it's under a pool of about 20 feet of water.
And that picture can be taken by someone standing right next to the reactor
without having any negative exposure.
When you- whenever you have nuclear radiation emitted,
the proper practise is to shield from it, and right now
the water is acting as the shield.
And you can stand safely without receiving any exposure.
Water is good for stopping all the three types of alpha, beta,
and gamma radiation.
So, when it comes to nuclear energy, the safe approach is to
follow established procedures, that are understood,
to keep the radiation away from human exposure.
Either in terms of shielding, or containment.
And we here at the center we'll- we'll dutifully follow all
the proper procedures to keep the materials contained,
and radiation exposure below acceptable amounts.
[man offscreen] They all ask quest-
So, rather than build a full-scale nuclear power- a nuclear reactor that
produces power, right now we are researching the fundamental components
of a nuclear reactor.
For example, the molten salt in a molten salt reactor,
and how it affects the metal component, uh, components of the structure.
That can be studied without any nuclear fuel,
and just the salt components itself.
And this lab is also, uh- the Alpha Tech has developed
the most advanced process for purifying these salts, and is
gonna be producing and supplying those to other researchers nationwide.
So, that will be going on in this facility.
So, next we'll take you to-
-we are now, in the medical isotope, or isotope research facility.
There's one special thing about molten salt nuclear reactors,
it's that the fuel itself is molten.
In a typical nuclear reactor, you have a solid metal or ceramic pellet fuel,
and then the coolant, usually water, passes over those pellets
to acquire the heat.
But in a molten salt reactor, the fuel itself is molten,
and travels in a- in a circular path, where, within the reactor, it goes critical
and produces heat, and then the bolt comes out to
another heat exchanger where the heat can be extracted,
and then is returned to the reactor.
And so, one of the benefits of- of this design is that you can remove
valuable components from that stream while the reactor is running.
So, for example,
[Paper rustling]
when a uranium or thorium atom fissions,
it creates a substantial portion- more than half- of all of
the elements on the periodic table.
And when you think of the value of a lot of the different elements
on the periodic table, there's many valuable things such as
the rare earth elements, and palladium, and strontium,
and- and then, there's still fuel left.
So, used nuclear fuel, there's typically over 90% usable fuel still.
And uh, and then the balance these other elements on the periodic table.
So, a nuclear reaction is like modern alchemy, taking one element
and changing it to another valuable element that you can extract.
The most valuable of which being elements that can be used to cure cancer
that can be extracted from the fuel.
And that's where Alpha Tech derived their name, was-
the Alpha comes from targeted alpha therapy from
a certain element isotope that can be extracted and used in-
in curing cancer procedures.
So, a molten salt nuclear reactor is kind of- can kind of be viewed
like the circulatory system in our body, where it's just going around and around,
and you can put- you can eat and put the food in, or put the fuel in,
which dissolves in the blood- bloodstream, and then when it gets to the lungs,
it released gasses that are no longer needed.
And it goes to the kidneys.
It releases other elements that are no longer needed.
And then those can be extracted, and then- and then used for some-
used for other purposes.
And, in this-in this, uh...
In this application, the...
for example, we often admire the Native Americans, who are known for-
for utilizing a whole animal, and all the parts,
instead of just pulling off one particular part and throwing the-
throwing rest to waste.
So, the same thing can be done here with used nuclear fuel.
Rather than being viewed as waste, it can be viewed as a very useful item,
where every component is put to some good.
Which dramatically reduces the amount that needs to be discarded at the end,
and dramatically increases the- the value of that material
coming out of a nuclear reactor.
So, that's what the type of research is that's done in this facility,
and this isotope separation facility.