"What makes molten salt reactors truly revolutionary, explained Erich Schneider, an associate professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, is that they will be able to use almost all of the nuclear fuel put into them. That contrasts with conventional reactors which typically only use about 5 percent of the fuel before the fuel rod has to be taken out and disposed.
"The other 95 percent we kind of don't know what to do with it," he said. "There are parts that remain radioactive for millions of years."
But in an MSR, he added, "You can leave the fuel in there until it's entirely used up."
That not only suggests that nuclear power could become much more efficient and economical, but far safer. Instead of generating large amounts of extremely hazardous unused fuel, MSRs generate a far less radioactive residue that is only hazardous for several hundred years. "
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This is off topic, it's intended to spur curiosity as to whether nuclear power will have a role in energy
http://www.energybiz.com/article/16/02/southern-explores-potential-molten-salt-reactors
"What makes molten salt reactors truly revolutionary, explained Erich Schneider, an associate professor of nuclear engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, is that they will be able to use almost all of the nuclear fuel put into them. That contrasts with conventional reactors which typically only use about 5 percent of the fuel before the fuel rod has to be taken out and disposed.
"The other 95 percent we kind of don't know what to do with it," he said. "There are parts that remain radioactive for millions of years."
But in an MSR, he added, "You can leave the fuel in there until it's entirely used up."
That not only suggests that nuclear power could become much more efficient and economical, but far safer. Instead of generating large amounts of extremely hazardous unused fuel, MSRs generate a far less radioactive residue that is only hazardous for several hundred years. "
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