Kirk Sorensen of Flibe Energy presents LFTR to University of Tennessee. Animations created by Flibe Energy are integrated into the talk by me "Magic Mask"-ing Kirk out of his background environment. Wraps on great Q&A session with nuclear engineering students.
 
 
I (finally) got to tour a CANDU with other C4NE volunteers! Bruce Power!
 
 
Afterwards, John Peevers took my questions. Can we build more CANDU? Does it make sense to encourage anti-nuclear activists to tour nuclear facilities? What does John make of recent polling data showign regional disparity in support for nuclear?
 
The Great Canadian Nuclear Debate: Dr. Chris Keefer vs Dr. Gordon Edwards.
 
 
Hosted by the Centre for International Policy Studies at the University of Ottawa on 2023-04-25. I've tightened the original up by 44m and added supplementary visuals. (As there isn't much happening visually, including a camera locked on the audience towards the end, instead of showing the debaters.)
 
 
Above is an excerpt focusing on cost and speed of nuclear as we experience in Canada. It is 8 minutes long, and I encourage Canadians to rip such content and post it wherever they can.
 
An 2023 excerpt from my own 2022 video, where Mark talks about "burning" uranium.
 
 
I challenged this (and still challenge this) as vocabulary which enables the majority's (incorrect) belief that nuclear is high-carbon. I prefer "liberate" though I don't have a drop-in replacement for burn. Unfortunately "fission" is often too specific when fissile is being bred from fertile.
 
THREE-BODY Disembiggened is my own fan-edit (from Tencent Video's production) of Liu Cixin's "The Three Body Problem."
 
 
Why is this on my thorium & nuclear power video index? For a show which initially presents itself as overtly anti-GMO and anti-nuclear... it has quite the plot twist where this opposition to tech is shown to be (literally) anti-human. I plan on referencing Three Body Problem in narrative works in 2024.
 
Mark Nelson debates nuclear power with Dr. Paul Dorfman on Al Jazeera.
 
 
Oak Ridge National Lab's Molten-Salt Reactor Workshop 2023 videos are not yet shared by ORNL. I have created a YouTube playlist with some of the 2023 presentations I was able to capture.
 
 
You'll see I'm using Magic Mask on some of these talks. This was/is me training on how to use the tool. Magic Mask is a feature of Black Magic's DaVinci Resolve Studio video ediitng software. After this practice I later used Magic Mask on Kirk's University of Tennessee LFTR talk.
 
This was my 3rd year hosting a pro-nuclear table during Calgary's "Marda Gras" street festival. (And the 2nd year with Jessica.) This video is not for general consumption... if you want to experience what hosting a pro-nuclear table is like, and what sort of questions one might get asked, then please check it out and hopefully you'll consider trying this yourself. (Or join us if you live in Calgary!)
 
 
I registered to participate as a volunteer for Canadians For Nuclear Energy. Stand-Up For Nuclear Power also helped me coordinate with the co-host, Jessica. Coordinating with any pro-nuclear organization can help you find people living around you to help out. This is a community street festival, and I registered to participate as a volunteer for Canadians For Nuclear Energy. Stand-Up For Nuclear Power also helped me coordinate with the co-host, Jessica.

Gummy Bears were featured prominently at our table, because a gummy bear has the same volume as a nuclear fuel pellet, and so a "gummy bear" (of uranium) can displace the combustion of 1 ton of coal. We handed out little bags of gummy bears, which included a slip of paper explaining this fact.

We also sold T-SHIRTS (at cost). Each year the shirt experience was different:

2021 - Didn't know how to have inexpensive shirts printed. Sold shirts at-cost for $50 each. Sold very few.

2022 - Thought I could sell shirts virtually, by directing people to https://nuclear.myspreadshop.ca which resulted in a single shirt sale. The price was zero-profit-to-me, $30 each. So they were affordable, but no one at a street festival wanted to order off a website... people want to walk away with the shirts not wait a month for them to be shipped.

2023 - Successfully sold 14 shirts for $20 each (no-profit), out a stock of 16 split evenly among men's M, L, XL. (Only 2 medium were left over.) About 3 people asked for 2XL of which I had none. They were printed in Calgary at https://budgetpromotion.ca. Like most places, double-sided printing costs more, but Budget Promotion was still able to provide shirts at $20 /each. I expect the only way this worked was because they are in Calgary also, and I was able to drive to their warehouse to pick up the shirts myself. I would have printed 2x as many shirts (and presumably be left with extra inventory) except I missed the email from Budget Promotions when the told me the shirts were ready for pickup. So in 2023 many people asked for Thorium shirts but no one was able to buy any.

Aside from sharing our knowledge and opinions about nuclear power, we had about 20 different types of fliers. Ranging from United Nations ECE study of lifecycle impact of various energy sources, to vendor fliers, to SUFN pamphlets. (And the gummy bears count too, since they had an info slip included with each bag.)

If you're interested in hosting a nuclear table at a community festival feel free to contact C4NE or SUFN or myself to see if we can be of (non-financial) assistance.

For my community's table I paid out of my own pocket, as a fun thing I get to do once a year. Maybe one year I'll increase the cost of shirts to cover the cost of the table at the festival, but for now I'm trying to keep things as simple as possible.

The table cost $250 CAD, which is a non-profit price. Thanks to C4NE for allowing me to use their name when renting the table space.

I purchased a tent ("Outsunny 10' x 10' Pop Up Gazebo, Foldable Canopy Tent with Carrying Bag with Wheels, 4 Leg Weight Bags and 3-Level Adjustable Height for Outdoor Gard") for $180 from Amazon Canada. That's only been amortized over 2 years so far, but I expect it will last forever.

Gummy Bears were about $100 (Amazon in 2022, Costco in 2023).

General Advice:


Prepare the gummy bear bags in advance. It took me and my wife hours to put the info-slips and gummy bears into the tiny bags. Not something you can do while talking to people, and also would have looked kinda gross and not have been sanitary.

Contact vendors. Some vendors sent me fliers for free. Many provided PDFs that were not available on their websites.

Be ready to collect email addresses. I can now reach out to people and direct them to C4NE and SUFN. Also, I expect a lot of local activism on the nuclear-front in the coming years. We just set out a pen and paper and it turned out to be invaluable. (Although I couldn't decipher all emails, so in 2024 we'll let people type emails into a laptop.)
 
 
Spreadshirt is an on-demand shirt printing company with the lowest prices (I could find) for U.S.A. and Canada. All of these shirts are at cost to me... Spreadshirt makes a profit but I do not. These shirts are effective pro-nuclear communication. Do not buy a shirt to support my video work: buy a shirt if you want a shirt.
 
 
China declared their intention to build a Thorium Molten-Salt Reactor in 2011. This video was released by SINAP in 2018...
 
 
...and now here we are in 2023: China's TMSR-LF1 has been issued an operating license!

NNSA Zhengzi No. 2307 2MWt Liquid Fuel Thorium-based Molten Salt Experimental Reactor Operation License:

Project: 2MWt Liquid Fuel Thorium-based Molten Salt Experimental Reactor Project Address: Hongshagang Town, Minqin County, Wuwei, Gansu Province License Holder: Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences Registered Address: Legal Representative, No. 2019, Jialuo Road, Jiading District, Shanghai Person: Dai Zhimin

Main facility: 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor Auxiliary facility: Radioactive waste treatment center Issuing authority: National Nuclear Safety Administration Date of issuance: June 7, 2023 Validity period: until June 6, 2033

During the operation of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor, Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, as the operating unit, is fully responsible for the nuclear safety of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor, and the following conditions should be observed.

1. Comply with relevant national laws, regulations and technical standards, accept the nuclear safety supervision of the National Nuclear Safety Administration, and ensure the safe operation of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor.

2. Strictly fulfill the commitments made in the "Final Safety Analysis Report" and other operating license application documents and their review process. If it is necessary to change these commitments, an application must be made in advance and necessary demonstrations must be made, and it can only be implemented after being approved by the National Nuclear Safety Administration.

3. Strictly implement the quality assurance program and related procedures, and regularly monitor and review the quality Guarantee the effectiveness of system implementation, and control and supervise the quality assurance activities of equipment, engineering and service units that provide 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor. If there is a major adjustment affecting the implementation of the quality assurance program, the quality assurance program should be revised in advance and reported to the NNSA for approval.

4. Ensure that the personnel directly responsible for the operation are familiar with and abide by the operating limits and conditions of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor. Any modification to the relevant content of the operating limits and conditions should be approved by the National Nuclear Safety Administration .

5. The adjustments to structures, systems and equipment important to safety, which are the basis for issuing operation licenses, can only be implemented after being approved by the National Nuclear Safety Administration.

6. If site conditions (such as population distribution, nearby industries, transportation and military facilities, etc.) have changed significantly, their impact on the safety of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor should be demonstrated and reported to the National Nuclear Safety Administration .

7. Strictly implement the "Reporting System for Research Reactor Operators", report the operation of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor to the National Nuclear Safety Administration in a timely and truthful manner, and provide relevant information.

8. From the day when the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor is first loaded, it shall conduct periodic safety assessments in accordance with the requirements of nuclear safety regulations, and submit the periodic safety assessment outline, assessment results and safety improvement plans to the National Nuclear Safety Administration for review.

9. If the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor needs to enter the long-term shutdown state, it should Apply to the National Nuclear Safety Administration and submit relevant plans, which can only be implemented after examination and approval; Before returning to operation after ending the long-term shutdown state, all inspections and tests must be completed in accordance with the plan commitments, and the follow-up work can only be carried out after confirmation by the National Nuclear Safety Administration.

10. If the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor shuts down due to an accident exceeding the safety limit, the reactor should be evaluated for safety, and the reactor can only be restarted after being approved by the National Nuclear Safety Administration. boot.

11. Regularly revise the "Final Safety Analysis Report" to reflect the 2MWt The latest status of liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor technology and operation management, and report to the National Nuclear Safety Administration.

12. Formulate and implement the maintenance, testing, monitoring and inspection program for structures, systems and equipment important to safety, and record, analyze and save relevant maintenance, testing, monitoring and inspection data to confirm that the performance meets the design requirements.

13. If experiments beyond the approved scope are carried out on the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor, corresponding experimental programs should be formulated and safety demonstrations should be made, and reported to the National Nuclear Safety Administration for approval.

14. Formulate and implement a radiation protection program to ensure that the radiation exposure caused by the ionizing radiation or planned release of radioactive substances of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor under all operating conditions is kept below the specified limit, so as to ensure that the Radiation exposure of workers and the public is kept as low as reasonably achievable.

15. Formulate and implement radioactive waste management programs and procedures for controlling and monitoring the discharge of radioactive effluents.

16. Formulate and implement the environmental monitoring program, monitor the effluent, and report to the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (National Nuclear Safety Administration) and the competent department of ecological environment in Gansu Province as required.

17. Establish and effectively implement an experience feedback system, actively promote the safety improvement of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor, and improve the safety level.

18. Continuously improve the "Emergency Plan", continue to strengthen the construction of emergency response capabilities, Carry out emergency training and drills as required.

19. Strictly abide by the relevant regulations on information disclosure and public participation. formulate and perfect Public information release management procedures, timely and accurate disclosure of relevant information; for major nuclear safety matters involving public interests, the opinions of stakeholders should be solicited, and feedback should be given in an appropriate form; nuclear safety publicity activities should be regulated.

20. Consider the needs of final decommissioning and radioactive waste disposal during the entire operation period, conduct research on the decommissioning and radioactive waste disposal technical scheme of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor as early as possible, and make appropriate financial arrangements .

21. Earnestly fulfill the requirements of the State Council’s Reply on the Responsibility for Compensation for Nuclear Accident Damage (Guo Han [2007] No. 64), and make appropriate financial guarantee arrangements to ensure timely and effective performance in the event of nuclear accident damage. Liability for damages in nuclear accidents.

22. The National Nuclear Safety Administration determined the control points for the commissioning and operation stage of the 2MWt liquid fuel thorium-based molten salt experimental reactor after the first fuel loading: 1 approaching criticality for the first time, 2 leaving 90% of rated power. The above-mentioned control points were released by the Northwest Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Before the release of each control point, the Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics shall submit the application and relevant documents for the release of the control point to the Northwest Nuclear and Radiation Safety Supervision Station of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. After approval, the next stage of commissioning and operation can be carried out.

23. Complete the commissioning test items after the first fuel loading according to the approved commissioning program. Submit the commissioning report to the NNSA within two months after the completion of all commissioning test items determined in the commissioning program.

24. During the operation period, continue to pay attention to the status of equipment important to safety and the performance of fuel salt boundary metal materials, do a good job of experience feedback, and continuously optimize operation management measures.

25. If the operation license expires, if it is necessary to continue to operate, it should fully demonstrate and verify whether the reactor meets the requirements of nuclear safety standards, and submit a renewal application to the National Nuclear Safety Administration five years before the license expires. It can continue to operate after being reviewed and approved by the National Nuclear Safety Administration.

26. After the validity period of the operation license expires and the reactor is terminated, the above license conditions shall continue to be implemented, and corresponding safety management measures shall be formulated to ensure that the reactor shutdown management is carried out in a safe manner until the application for decommissioning is approved.
 
Kirk Sorensen at ARC Conference in London.
 
 
And that is DaVinci Resolve's Magic Mask finally applied to some decent quality video capture! Shame about the first 20 seconds of audio... those first 20 seconds are the inaudible made audible, thanks to a bunch of audio processing.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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