Taylor Wilson: My radical plan for small nuclear fission reactors

[@jakestockton4808]

This isn't a new idea. Molten Salt Breeder Reactors (MSBR) are nothing new. This very concept was created in the 1950s because of the government's desire to create a nuclear powered bomber. This was a fantastic method of preventing meltdowns because salts can tolerate much higher temperatures and they don't expand until 1000c. The expansion actually cools the salts, so it's almost impossible to make a MSBR go super critical. Unfortunately, lobbying for the Liquid Metal Fast Breeder Reactor won over with government officials. The government's major concern with MSBRs is that the salts tend to have a corrosive effect on the cooling pipes. A ridiculous argument considering that beryllium neutralizes the salt's corrosive effects. Regardless of this system's failed history, it would be fantastic to see a comeback of this system.

[@Khaliddhali]

while watching the video I was confused! though Nuclear Physics ain't my major! I thought, how come the idea is brand new! Thanks for explaining *****

[@darkoneforce2]

***** Various composites could fix that without beryllium.

[@jakestockton4808]

AMVM Awesome! I don't think I've ever had the pleasure of chatting with a chemist before. What are some of the other elements that could be used that are cheaper or that work better?

[@darkoneforce2]

***** I'm not a chemist. What I know comes from other of dealing with corrosion in various situations. I know of various composites (reinforced with (pre-ceramic) polymers), polymers and of coating/paints/sprays containing these exotic polymers that are good against corrosion and the good old chrome lining used in rifles (on bolts and recently on barrels) to deal corrosion since at lest WWII. Of course I never said these solutions were cheap or don't have disadvantages.

[@samuelduncan9831]

Thank you Jake. Very well put, if anyone that deserves credit for the molten salt design. it would go to Alvin Weinberg

[@KevWilOG]

This young man needs a team whose sole mission in life is to remove obstacles from his path.

[@argylewarrior1]

But overcoming obstacles is what makes him so special.

[@lavrentievv]

There are pleanty of armed anarcho-capitalist groups already.

[@auhunter04]

If you listened carefully, you will find he already has a team

[@MrTommyb1970]

I believe he means the everyday individual obstacles of life, so that this brilliant mind may focus on humanities obstacles and overcome them for us all.

[@N8sGames]

Tom Bayura yes this is what he meant. Let's start a go fund me to resource this team. 😺

[@namelesscynic1616]

This technology is not new but was dumped because fission weapons got the $ for development. He is absolutely correct, we need to scale down nuclear weapons and expand non threatening nuclear fission using thorium molten salt reactors.

[@CHURCHISAWESUM]

And keep researching nuclear fusion. Cleaner and 100x the energy generation

[@phillipjones3439]

There is a world of difference between a Nuclear bomb and a continuous power reactor. Why Thorium though its very rare. Sad though that as you say mega bucks are available for destruction.

[@StephenMannUSA]

General Electric proposed almost exactly this plan 60 years ago for small, neighborhood reactors buried in a vault.

[@phillipjones3439]

@@StephenMannUSA Indeed they did. But for some reason (physics) they carried it through.

[@barryrudolph9542]

@@CHURCHISAWESUM Fusion may not be practical because we don't seem to be able to get more power than we put in and maybe it's the same for the Stars in the universe. The force Gravity exerts on a Star to keep fusion going in it's core may be greater than the power that the Star produces. No free lunches in our universe.

[@georgedredla7599]

I'm 60 years old. I do feel better knowing that there are people like Taylor that will save and change the world. Be safe

[@jerryaaronson7061]

When people make SciFi movies about the future and all the wonderful technologies we will have most forget to factor in the greed of those in control of the markets and what gets to make it to market. I was excited about him when I first heard of his ideas but am not convinced we will ever see most of his great ideas any time soon. When John Kanzius discovered that he could make saltwater burn (when he was experimenting with a device he designed to kill cancer) we all got really excited until he died from cancer he had and others took over, now it just sits in labs and very little has been done with it. Hopefully, for the sake of our grandchildren, things will change.

[@edgehodl4832]

well we still waiting for him change the world, 8 years later

[@hongjieyin1152]

Taylor Wilson is BANDIT LOWLIFE VERMIN SCUM

[@georgelza]

... so this was recorded 6 yrs ago, what has happened since this happened.

[@nrsrymj]

WAMSRs have been shown to be balderdash.

[@gregweatherly7793]

@@nrsrymj lol wut

[@nrsrymj]

@@gregweatherly7793 I'll tell you wuts wut Waste annihilating molten salt reactors have been shown to be balderdash. At best, they are far more difficult and expensive to build than Taylor Wilson or the Now defunct Transatomic thought. This explains why Mr Wilson has faded into obscurity with nothing to show for the five year plan he promised in this six year old video. That's wut

[@gregweatherly7793]

@@nrsrymj had to google balderdash and wamsr. Cool word. Wamsr seem worth pursuing even though they are only 41.6% efficient in perfect order......we have to get rid of all that waste somehow right? Even at an energy loss, this seems better than burying it and hoping no one digs it up in 1000 years.

[@nrsrymj]

@@gregweatherly7793 Thanks for the reply and yes that is a great word. As for the waste. Acknowledging it's potential inherent danger as radioactive material, the fact is that all the nuclear waste We have produced would cover a football field 20 meters high. It is entirely manageable to simply store it in remote areas. I hope people still try to improve the wamsr model. Perhaps balderdash istge wrong word, as I'm not saying it's impossible, I'm saying that it is WAY harder than Wilson and Transatomic thought, thus their failure to deliver in five years. I'm more partial to a thorium based nuclear program, and of course the ultimate goal is nuclear fusion power, which is even harder than WAMSR but will be the greatest achievement of mankind. We need a new nuclear renaissance as it is the only source with the energy density to get us off fossil fuels asap while meeting the ever-growing demand for electricity

[@terrihunt1471]

he is the chosen one for me. There is a reason hes here and we should recognize what this means. Hope. Real hope. Keep sayin his name to your self and others. Miracles live here on this planet and he is just beginning . Taylor Wilson

[@nickynada-btc]

Im a little lost. To me it sounds like he's describing Molten Salt Reactor designed decades ago. I'm not exactly sure what he's claiming he invented or designed.

[@totoritko]

He mostly is describing an MSR, yes. The difference is that he advocates for using downblended weapons material and skipping the reprocessing stage entirely (or perhaps doing reprocessing in-situ by using a single-fluid design). This gets around the calandria and proliferation problem of the two-fluid LFTR design, but poses some interesting challenges then at the end of the lifetime of such a power plant (mostly due to transuranic buildup, though these could then be destroyed in a fast reactor).

[@primo2296]

. . . English

[@emzee1148]

TheSevil it's nuclear physics you dumb animal, why would it be simple?

[@davindeptuck7905]

Even if he did design something that's already been designed, it still can be his own idea. Somebody somewhere can have an idea, and somebody somewhere else can have that same idea afterwards; it doesn't mean he stole the idea.

[@offilawnoone9020]

This means that he is poorly educated. Most "tv-pop" scientists are useless in real science. Real scientists, such as Newton or Einstein, studied everything that was achieved in their time, and then offered their ideas.

[@janicebartmess9950]

I am almost speechlessly in complete awe of this young man! Bravo, Taylor!

[@josephyoudontneedtoknowmyl1836]

He must be the Universe’s way of correcting the fact that most of us are as dumb as a box of rocks.

[@deeznutssons2807]

Well put! Haha.

[@toymangamer121]

why would you say that about a box of rocks

[@matrixresetinprogress]

Its masonry. Thats all. Just masonic bullshit...

[@amphibiousone7972]

This guy is great! Yes the basic concepts have been banging around since the early 1950s, but he is offering some new ideas into the old model. I think his ideas are wonderfully refreshing. Compact self contained reactors, deployable with relative ease. A potentially great fill for the time delay gap, as Fusion Power is developed. I wish him much success. 👍

[@jitendratiwari6886]

Indian scientist already made a fast breader reactor in kalapakkam (Tamilnadu) which use burn uranium as a fuel when used with thorium. In INDIA we have 2/3 of world thorium as reserve. And in 2030 we will have 30 fast breader reactor. Not only this we will also share our technology to all the nation so that we ensure easy access to electricity on every corner in this earth.

[@phillipjones3439]

Thats fantastic, so in 2030 Tamilnadu will no longer need all the charity it absorbs.

[@Salvo900]

Phillip Jones ?

[@Mytubepalma101]

From Wiki "Originally planned to be commissioned in 2012, the construction of the reactor suffered from multiple delays. As of February 2019, criticality is planned to be achieved in 2020.[2]"...

[@nik1954]

Well then get it out to the world

[@amitchoudhury9632]

@@phillipjones3439 Charity? What charity?

[@genevievemurphy7384]

I hope this young bloke has lots of protection around him. He is a super intellect and lots of people who are evil will not appreciate him as normal people would. He will change the world no doubt about it!

[@ParaglidingManiac]

Everybody's standing up and clapping for him, but in the end - the world refuses to use such technology. Welcome to Earth!

[@ParaglidingManiac]

Words spread fast. This still hasn't been used.

[@OpenGL4ever]

I hope so. Unless you want make access to nuclear fuel easy for terrorist groups.

[@Wafflepudding]

Probably because these ideas are fucking terrible, and the people clapping for him haven't thought the implications of this one through. Doing literally nothing is still a better proposal than the public proliferation of massive amounts of small nuclear fission reactors around every major industrialized city in the world.

[@tomdobyns2062]

Para, That is simply based on the old nuclear technology and the uninformed campaign by environmentalists against anything nuclear. A handful of depleted uranium and thorium could provide enough energy to power an electric car for a lifetime, without green house gases and cheap enough to be free, or almost so, without any of the side effects of fossil fuels. Maybe President Trump can "adjust" this problem. It would also benefit the economy and reduce the cost of fossil fuel for other uses.

[@robertstv8045]

Agreed but I'd go with Nancy Pelosi or Moonbeam

[@tomsalam1]

As soon as this kid's company goes public, I'm buying as many shares as I can afford.

[@mexicoespanol3883]

tomsalam1 can you let me know if one day happen I would like to buy it too

[@clevername8832]

I thought the company made fission power modules? Lmao

[@Alexmatt5830]

Right?!

[@khankrum1]

Me too!

[@davidschmidt6013]

Me TOO!! I missed out on getting in on the ground floor of Microsoft, and Intel, but I won't miss this kid.

[@KimHenriksen.]

Wow!! 30 years without refueling is pretty good

[@drgrey7026]

For naval reactor it's pretty standard

[@leonesperanza3672]

Bill Gate's Terrapower claims 60 years without refueling and existing nuclear waste can be used.

[@FowlorTheRooster1990]

@@leonesperanza3672 the funny thing is most of the waste is recyclable and reactors can run on plutonium

[@larrylove1]

Yea my son is pretty smart

[@edwardcardozo8325]

@@FowlorTheRooster1990 France has doing that for decades tho lol

[@VaporHausDundee]

I've long been a proponent of Thorium/Salt Reactor technology but this sounds like an interesting twist to help eliminate weapons grade materials that are just sitting around waiting for a disaster. I'm assuming you'll team-up with Kirk Sornsen on this project, like you, he also was originally inspired by propulsion.

[@anonymousdevildog1406]

7 years later... still waiting.

[@ArtisticTomahawk]

10...

[@platostien189]

Keep on keeping on

[@WeatherScreport]

The US and it’s capitalist doesn’t invest in infrastructure much anymore. Taylor doesn’t have the money to build one of these. The US already made molten salt fission reactors at Oakridge before this kid’s parents were out of diapers

[@MrRRHHMM]

This young man, could change the world, very very much for the better..... He's quite remarkable....... a True Prodigy.......

[@gastonhamoline2750]

Taylor:: Watch yourself.Tesla had great ideas to help the world and proved it with his inventions.He was shut down by interests who wanted to run the economy to profit themselves. Their industries are polluting our world today.I am surprised you got this far with your projects. We need people like you with such an intelligent endowment. Gaston

[@fancystardust7629]

I love this young man! Taylor Wilson you give this Grand mama much hope for the future you are amazing.

[@mobilejan]

I dont get it, i’ve seen a documentary 20 years ago about fusion where they had this thing sussed already. I think it was called chain reaction.

[@jordanwhisson5407]

His brilliant idea was thought up long before he was born

[@overtaxed3628]

It’s been 69 years since that kind of fusor was invented. The inventor knew it would never have a net energy output

[@thomas977]

That’s what he says in the first couple minutes

[@drgrey7026]

Big one's

[@Joel-ee4yh]

@@overtaxed3628 that's not necessarily a bad thing coz a couple of SMRs can be placed together and it can produce gigawatts worth of power

[@TooTrue2]

This is an amazing discovery... this electricity thing... simply amazing. They say you can create light without a flame!!!

[@mikearmstrong1045]

You go taylor! Don't let anyone influence you negatively. Thank you ahead of time for all the things your doing to make the world a better place for myself and all my loved ones. THANKS.

[@jonhall152]

It is humbling as a 34 year old to look up to this young man.

[@smoothtriston6203]

+Jon Hall Or sad....

[@霸气荣哥]

hi

[@Valhalla.Studio]

Smooth Triston, its only sad if you see it as some sort of competition, but if you see everyone on this planet as part of one team than this should make you feel better about the future and give more hope.

[@nicholausjamesjay83]

This is one of my all time favorite TED Talks. Also, the Joel Saliten one is good at well.

[@davebusters]

Nice I graduated from Memphis state Universities Center of Nuclear studies in 1979. Went to work Carolina power an lights 2 unit BWR 4's and was then recruited to be on the startup team that started up Palaverty Nuclear Generating Stations 3 combustion engineering's series 70 1300MW plant for 16 years. I love your presentation! Wow keep going!

[@Valhalla.Studio]

Nothing wrong with taking something that's already been done before and making it a little better or just explaining why its better to make it more popular. Why so many salty people in the comments? what were you all doing at 14 I wonder? Personally I mostly played video games lol :(

[@lostintime8651]

played rock music in a band

[@mcole1987]

excuse the pun

[@brunovincent1969]

Salty comments because the kid sounds like a used car salesman, something fake and creepy about him...not genuine...! ;)

[@migueloropeza6352]

Looking and. Chasing girls!

[@bocckoka]

trying to sell stolen ideas as your own is disgusting. that's why people are salty.

[@612Tiberius]

To all who are highly intrigued by this teen-aged prodigy (as I am) I urge you to read, via Google, the Popular Science magazine article of February 2012 that goes into his history as a budding scientist, and his creating his own nuclear fusion reactor, through his own perseverance and extensive collaboration with some of the top scientists and facilities in the country. His is absolutely a person to keep an eye on in the near future (and beyond) in his field of study, on the level of any top technological innovator you can name of the past fifty years or more. He is what all High School, College, and Post-Graduate students should be aspiring toward and emulating - not evermore ubiquitous future M.B.A.s and selfish short-term-gain-minded would-be Wall Street drones. I hope he exceeds all his future goals, to the benefit of all society.

[@dontquestionmyname5490]

i agree, i have seen kids with 1.8 GPA but still have full scholarship because they are good football/basketball players. Meanwhile, a girl with 4.2 GPA got a scholarship that not even close

[@maxjohnston402]

Truth: Growing up poor but with a knack for taking tests I got scholarships, deciding on UCLA-Physics (at the last minute REJECTING "USC SKOLARSHIP" ;-). Regret not being able to enjoy college and ending up working for a retired "ex-Military Brat" who, surprise-surprise had 'awarded' the contract to my Aerospace Co... and got a high paying job with my Co. as my manager! Early in my career I was on committees that built the standards for computer interoperations (internet/intranet are examples - and no, Vice President Al Gore never came to any of our meetings, which really just had 2 of us designing the standard and a dozen+ enjoying the company paid travel to conferences in different parts of the country ;-!)

[@King_Flippy_Nips]

@HEAV¥HAND thats because the ncaa exploits those athletes and makes billions a year and the schools get kickbacks and the players have incredible restrictions put upon them and get nothing except potential career ending injuries or incredible stress and they have no time to actually learn anything in case they dont get a pro career and their scholarships barely give them enough money to eat properly, and then there is the problem of dirty coaches and administrators selling entry to schools that just got brought up in the news

[@kickinrocks6055]

But everyone is claiming his reactor was invented in the 50s. If he was legit, i would assume he gives a breif history lesson, then explains he invented a way to overcome failures from the past. But he claims he invented this ideas, and wants to sell it. Sounds like the latter of the types of people you mentioned.

[@DSBeholder]

@@kickinrocks6055 finally someone asks the question...what do you think has and will happen again most likely and why?

[@janahilton9351]

Way to go Taylor. Im from Gurdon,AR just barely 30 minutes NE of Texarkana. Congratulations on the wonderful things you have planned for humanity. You are truly an inspiration.👍👍

[@Hawtload]

it's 2019 now. what's Taylor been doing lately? do we have those fission reactors in the works yet?

[@dianabanana08]

google his name.

[@DAXminer-g1g]

He’s dead.

[@NICEFINENEWROBOT]

@@DAXminer-g1g Aged 69?

[@DAXminer-g1g]

NICEFINENEWROBOT I think he was 49.

[@NICEFINENEWROBOT]

​@@DAXminer-g1g Are we talking about the same guy? Taylor Wilson (Born may 7th, 1994 in Texarkana (Arkansas)

[@whatthefunction9140]

This reactor type has been know for almost 100 years. But if it takes a kid to make it sound new, great. Thorium is much better than uranium.

[@OpenGL4ever]

The elders don't build it because it has a BIG flaw. The flaw is called "no control over nuclear material". But control over nuclear material is needed to prevent small groups from building nukes.

[@stevegarcia3731]

You are ill-informed. Three nations tried using U-233 for nukes. After trying it, they all ran away from it. U-233's radiation (actually the U-232 that accompanies it) screws up the electronics relatively quickly, so you simply cannot put missiles anywhere, even in underground silos, because they are likely to blow up in your own territory. NOT a good result. U-233's radiation also bleeds out, making it supremely easy to detect. Also not a good thing. U-233 bombs will never be made again. It is too dangerous.

[@urduib]

We already had a Thorium salt reactor running 21000 hours with no problems in the start of the 70´s . Thorium is the biggest gift the Universe could ever give us. So ofc Governments ignore it. China have a MASSIVE thorium program. They are working on 2 designs and very soon they will prototype the first design. Also Oak Ridge America is building a test Thorium reactor. Thorium is the solution to basically all our short term problems

[@jamieingels1190]

I don't care who came up with it first.... This kid is actually going to see that it gets put to use.. That's what we need.

[@urduib]

Jamie Ingels - Good point. If this kid can make molten salt reactor sexy i will certainly not argue against it. But did he mention Thorium in his speech ? can´t remember. He said 600-700 degree Celsius and that sounds like Thorium. American Government hate Thorium because Uranium power distributors own the Government through the legal corruption/bribery system in America. When Kirk Sorensen group wanted to pay the bill for getting Thorium data acknowledged by Us Administration under Obama, they were told that would be to expensive so they refused. Imagine i give you 8000 dollars, and you refuse with the reason that 8000 free dollars is to expensive. That is the prof that Us Government works against free and green energy, on behalf of oil and Uranium. China will 100% own the future of energy production and distribution. A thorium program only cost 10 billion dollars. With the potential of earning infinite quadrillions back

[@DarkHeartMetalhead12]

this is one of those things that sound real great in the absence of war

[@MrRB-qk8cl]

I don't understand why the masses aren't doing more to back up ingenious people such as this young man. He could be using his knowledge to fill his own pockets but instead of doing that he's dedicating his time and energy creating solutions and ways to make our world a better place and improve everyone else's life. And not just talking about it. If the world enables him and provide him with the means to make what he just presented a reality. It would help reduce global warming, and fix a lot of the damage already created due false solutions created by other people before him who did not have the world's best interest in mind and enable us to move forward without doing further damage to our planet, not to mention the other ways his idea could probably help enable others working on different issues we are dealing with today. [ UNITED WE STAND👆ALONE WE FALL 👇]

[@stephenhargrave7922]

Although, that lemming attitude is usually the motivating force behind such wonders as concentration camps nuclear holocaust and illegal wars

[@stephenhargrave7922]

Rather than globalizing energy for one man to make all the money off a singular energy source, each individual could have their own private energy source i.e water solar thermo wibd hydro any of the other sources that don't potentially lead to catastrophe. Unfortunately they will never make such technology affordable because it doesn't like their pockets

[@adventureal977]

O MY GOD ... Absolutely Brilliant Young man.

[@kimokla3874]

done nothing for 7 yrs. why? sold out to oil lobby

[@kirkmarch4713]

Mr. Wilson sorry to be a late arrival to your coming out party. Hopefully I have arrived before they secure you away into intellectual Nirvana. Congratulations on revolutionizing the Battery Industry. Nuclear Batteries burried in every Nieghborhood is a great advancement. On a more pragmatic thought, Mr. Wilson you spoke the magic words that will define our Civilization, "Fukushima." Victim of circumstance, Consequences of bad Engineering, dealing with results of no planning... Please give the problems of the Fukushima disaster a moment of thought and see what your fantastic mind can do for our future. I have only Thanks for you with this dream of hope....

[@skatingfae92]

He needs to get his priorities right and work on building a reactor for the Iron Man suit.

[@joko10004]

It is all nice and good I think he is very smart but molten salt reactor idea has been around for decades it just hasn't been realized yet. So he didn't invent this but I hope he can bring it forwards and make it happened.

[@ButtThuck]

He's well aware of this. In a Power Engineering article he states that this technology has been around since the 60s

[@InsideThaJackalsHead]

With this young man humanity has a bright future.... Hope he sticks around long enough in life to make his wildest dreams come true.

[@A.C.71]

He's the kind of guy that's so damn smart he makes you feel stupid lol

[@charlestonhambrick1365]

How do I get a small version to bury in my back yard to supply power to my house for 30 years?

[@doritoification]

#radioactiveboyscout

[@kimokla3874]

make it yourself, he sold out to lobby oil and gas scum

[@mikeavery4098]

I've been pushing this kind of idea for 20 years good luck in your endeavors Godspeed

[@metalmogul4691]

He cannot be a flash in the pan, he must push his ideas continuously to be taken seriously. The novelty of his age must wear off before his plans will take hold. People are always suspicious of young minds and their lack of experience.

[@tomw4643]

Like a lot of young people, he is amazed at his own discovery of aspects of science that have been known among scientists for a long time. His design is innovative because he put it underground but the rest of the design is well known and has been for years. We have been calling these designs Gen III and Gen IV and Gen V reactor designs. He will do well in science but this is not as innovative as he or TED thinks.

[@7kudos]

Although... you could look at it as an innovative politic circus. Something to get people's perspective to change. Thus, fusion reactors designs are very old, the only problem is that he opens it up to public not to the private sector. Where it's easy to navigate.

[@dankool688]

Every parents should show this to their kids.

[@ChannelJeffrey]

The biggest hurdle is of course the knee jerk reaction, "no nukes."

[@TPVPRO]

I had no idea Ellen Degeneres was so smart! But no BS dude is remarkable.

[@psycronizer]

nice one !

[@FixItStupid]

psycronizer Thank You, Yes @ 32 CPM That's Nuclear Disintegrations Per Minute.... The World Is On Its Way Out......Sad The Greed Lie Of Nuclear.....Safe As You Can ...Your, Fix IT

[@piendawg]

Omg you nailed it

[@skyearthocean5815]

Haha! There is a resemblance. Micheal Cera a little too.

[@skyearthocean5815]

@Old Bird Dare I ask why you say that?

[@stanleymcomber4844]

Thank you Taylor for joining the thorium reactor plan. I’ve been waiting for this push.

[@stone51462]

So Taylor seems to be talking about a Liquid Floride Thorium Reactor (LFTR, also called a "Lifter" for short) which has the benefits he talks about when the coolant is a molten salt, but what is his innovation? He talks about using a "super-critical" gas or Helium to turn a turbine. What advantage does that have over using steam to turn the turbine?

[@keithmyles4733]

Strange if you google Lockheed Martin, you'll see they are running a reactor with a gas on the turbine side ..and they were doing this in 2015 ..tested!! What I want to see is a 1 cubic metre box of 10 Kilowatts of power that will run my house for 52 years and be self contained. What they have to do is find a means outside of nuclear batteries which have limited capabilities to generate power via some form of radiation.. and get beyond gas, steam turbine ..

[@Mrtamal01]

i love this kid. and hopefully one day ill work with him with something like this.

[@michaelnakedpctech1100]

I am so glad that there is finally someone other than just Kirk Sorensen promoting molten salt reactors

[@Andrewlohbihler]

Maybe he will hire Kirk Sorensen as his PR man. Everything this kid talked about is exactly the LFTR or MSBR reactor design that Kirk is promoting.

[@daleval2182]

Yeah it a hundred year old Tesla design, people just like cute kids, whatever it takes to get us to cheap clean power, I'll play along

[@anhedonianepiphany5588]

@@daleval2182 Are you _actually_ stupid enough to believe that Tesla was involved with _anything_ even related to nuclear fission, let alone reactor design?!? Nuclear fission was only discovered at the end of 1938, roughly 4 years before Tesla died at the age of 86. You can't honour Tesla if you're ignorant of his work!

[@ExploreLearnEnglishWithGeorge]

Well, it's 2019 (6 years on) and it seems like his largest accomplishments include this ted talk and some home tinkering.

[@Towoawawabo8]

America doesn't spend on its citizen unless the 1% benefits or control every bit of your creation

[@gracialonignasiver6302]

@@anthonybanayat9841 Like what? Provide lists and sources, because I've googled him and can't find anything outside of him working with some company called Helena that attempts to solve world problems.

[@samiloom8565]

Hehehe like max loughan who turned to solve madella effect problem :)))))

[@johnbach2075]

What have you done or accomplished in your life for humanity

[@nrsrymj]

@@johnbach2075 Don't be fresh, this is a legitimate question. The answer is that WAMSRs have been shown to be bullshit.

[@weirdscience8341]

Im in awe of this dude he hasn't even got to the age were he's mastered the science of shaving but good god he knows his stuff keep it up dude hope your rather high reaching ambition is a really big success

[@dell177]

Molten salt reactors really are the answer to our energy problems until fusion reactors can be developed. They are a lot smaller, cost a lot less to build, and are intrinsically safe. Boiling water reactors were a step along the way that we got tricked into by tricky Dick's desire to bring some pork home for his district. It is time to move beyond the BWR but there are reasons why it's not popular in the nuclear industry. There is a tremendous amount of money to be made with fuel pellets (reprocessing and production); there is also a lot of inertia to keep doing what we have been doing because we are already doing it, companies are loathe to kill a cash cow.

[@tomdobyns2062]

Kill a cash cow = political. It is time for the newer technology to be used. Lower cost per unit benefits man kind and probably our planet. Reduced world pollution benefits us all.

[@rynomadman1]

This kid seems to have watched all the same KZbin videos I have. who do I need to talk to about getting on one of these Ted talks? I'm ready to show the would my drawings of a small box that will change the world that i just came up with all on my own.

[@samiloom8565]

Yeah true ..i am fedup from all this trend of youngsters genius game changers impacters on the world and that BS i didnt see anyhhing except basics from eikipedia abd youtube

[@TheWiniarss]

yeah, he drew the box underground and thought it's gamechanging because it is underground

[@asianassassin5082]

Except for the fact that this kid built a actual true working nuclear reactor at 14 in his parents garage so give the dude some credit

[@alwaysnothingbutthetruth2032]

He did not build it in the garage, it was built at Arizona Univ

[@l00klikea]

I assume you also achieved fission at the age of 14 in your garage? Oh right, you did not and are just a loudmouth who massively underestimates the amount of effort this guy has put into educating himself about this topic, more than a dumbed down 12 minute talk could show. Next time think before you talk.

[@manavpatra4808]

Good luck kid... I really hope those big Oil and Energy companies don't STOP you from what you've set out to achieve and make this world a better place... and even reach the stars!!!

[@LivingLifeLOA]

The Steve Jobs of the nuclear world. Absolutely brilliant. It's not that he's come up with something new but his Innovative energy and desire is what is needed to take any Discovery forward into implementation

[@mattmiller5215]

I love it.........We "the United States" new this a long time ago.....But now the new gens are going to bring it back in the form of energy....not a weapon......The sun is rising in the west........

[@JAGRAFX]

Much work was done in the 1950's and '60's on what we called SNAP [Systems (for) Nuclear Auxiliary Power] for reactors the size that Taylor is talking about. SNAP space system reactors ranged from a few hundred watts to 750 horsepower -- all designed to operate and self-diagnose far away from human hands. The irradiation [activation of normally neutral materials] and contamination problems were legion; especially when rotating machinery was used for electric power generation. SL-1 is another example of a small scale reactor which was designed for remote locations for the U. S. Army. A good vid on YT here exists which covers the 1961 SL-1 accident and subsequent cleanup after a malfunction at that site. All of these pint-sized systems, no matter what quantities produced, were ever cost-effective or productive in any context.

[@goonigoogoo5868]

a 19 year old who does not say "LIKE" every 4th word...wow that is rare..

[@samfrancisco8095]

But he uses the word "ton" inappropriately. That is worse.

[@kimjisena]

Hahahahà I didn't notice that....

[@davisjohnson5688]

like, rare rare? or like, just really rare?

[@miiiikku]

I get the impression that lot of amazing technology on Ted talks could not exist, if it could, they would implement it already.

[@sam-te1fu]

miiiikku guess what, you just used 'amazing technology' to post your idiotic comment

[@miiiikku]

sam spin No, my computer is powered by regular second generation light water nuclear reactor.

[@oraz.]

It's not a fault of the technology, but the politics and economics that go into implementing it.

[@shanhussain6114]

this is what the future needs: people like this. People who value intelligence rather than agenda.

[@pyrrho314]

I'm a fan of thorium!

[@benfreed6471]

me too it totally has the potential to solve the world's energy problems although its not like it was taylor's idea

[@pyrrho314]

Ben Freed his reactor is all about the liquid part... which is the most important part, and burning our nuclear "waste" is a good thing to focus on. It's a great story t hough... given that it seems we really could be in the nuclear age as we were told in the 50's but it was sold out to a faction.

[@pyrrho314]

Simon Farre Firstly the main benefit comes from using a liquid fuel, and you only need uranium to start the reaction and actually you don't need uranium, you need a neutron source. Thorium reactors don't have melt downs and they can burn "waste" from classical reactors. I have looked into the myths and research, and liquid fuel thorium is a obviously superior design for nuclear reactions. Also, thorium right now is being produced as waste as part of mining rare earth metals, it's much more abundant than Uranium and is all fissable, whereas only 4% of Uranium is still fissible. It's funny how you think it's ok to buy "debunking" hood line and seeker and that somehow will be more incisive than buying anything else you're told. I have researched it.

[@pyrrho314]

Simon Farre 1. There is no “thorium reactor.” *who said there was... however there HAVE been. basically, so what?* 2. You still need uranium - or even plutonium - in a reactor using thorium. *No, you need a neutron source, however, again, so what? Once giong the thorium produces enough Uranium to sustain the process.* 3. Using plutonium sets up proliferation risks. *If you don't like nuclear energy then say so... E=mc^2 sets up a proliferation risk.* 4. Uranium-233 is also excellent weapons-grade material. *Remember, we're comparing this to Uranium reactors, yes... nuclear energy is related to nuclear weapons. However, thorium plants are much less friendly to proliferation and don't produce plutonium that has to be used or stored away.* 5. Proliferation risks are not negated by thorium mixed with U-238. *just lessened. Last I checked we had no plan to give up our nuclear weapons.* 6. Thorium would trigger a resumption of reprocessing in the US. *Instead of just letting long lived (tens of thousands of years) radioactive waste pile up. Evidently the myth is that it's totally safe... as if the material is not radioactive... no... it just can't melt down, you won't have the type of clean up problem they have in Fukushima, because clean up will be possible. Yes, accidents are possible in coal plants too.* 7. Using thorium does not eliminate the problem of long-lived radioactive waste. Fission of thorium creates long-lived fission products including technetium-99 (half-life of over 200,000 *this pretty much counts as a lie... thorium is very long lived... and almost not radioactive at all, it's in the rocks all around us. And how much technetium is created... what's important is the quantity, funny he doesn't mention that.* 8. Attempts to develop “thorium reactors” have failed for decades. No commercial “thorium reactor” exists anywhere in the world. India has been attempting, without success, to develop a thorium breeder fuel cycle for decades. *SOLID ONES. As if the first an only reactor design, designed by the military is the end all be all of nuclear reactor design. Perhaps you don't understand technology. The military spend decades and billions developing flat screen technology. Material science toiled away decades to get control of chemical processes and there are things still doing on. But again, this is mostly a lie, India playing with thorium cycles is not the same as Oakridge and LLNL doing it, and they havn't.* Other countries including the US and Russia have researched the development of thorium fuel for more than half a century without overcoming technical complications. *Lol, a lie... you see, there was some research 50 years ago which was stopped and not pursued... that's "half a century of research"... if the debunkers lie, that's not debunking, that's their own myth, that nuclear energy cannot be done safely. Perhaps they own coal mines.* 9. Fabricating “thorium fuel” is dangerous to health. *no, the hell you say! really!? you can't drink it!?!?!* 10. Fabricating “thorium fuel” is expensive. *ignorance, lie? perhaps just leveraging that we don't have such an industrial process and research is needed? It's clear it will be simpler because one, it's abundant, two, it comes in one fissile isotope whereas only 4% of the Uranium is fissile, and the shit is piling up in China as we speak, creating radioactive pools.* Using a breeder reactor makes costly reprocessing necessary. *this is one of the main areas of research, and the science does not imply the reprocessing of the fuels has to be costly, and many of the isotopes that need removal are useful, short half-life materials. Another area needing tackling is finding the best material for holding highly corrosive salts. Neither of these are insurmountable. *

[@ostlandr]

Simon Farre Actually, you only need pure Thorium and a neutron source strong enough. Yes, it breeds to U-233, which is the fissile component. It's not a myth; it's chemistry. And with an external neutron source, you never need to have a critical mass of fissile material in the core at any one time- hence "breed and burn". And as Taylor Wilson mentions in the video, while Thorium has a ton of advantages, both molten salt reactors like he's working on and the sub-critical reactor I'm working on will burn just about any combination of fissile and/or fertile material - aka "nuclear waste". In my design, you just have to limit the quantity of fissile material to keep it below a critical mass for the size and shape of the core.

[@gloriarogers9509]

He speaks free flow which means he knows ,genius !

[@desertflyer5123]

To a 17 year old high school science geek, a 30 year lifespan seems near infinite. But it is not. Over the course of the estimated lifespan of this technology all the reactor components will be continuously bombarded with neutrons making all metals brittle. The pipes, valves, containment walls, all will become increasingly brittle (and radioactive). So, let’s say there is a failure in year 28 and the dump valve that is supposed to drain the molten radioactive soup fails from embrittlement (a likely event). Then the entire reactor melts along with the earth and water around it contaminating the water table, the ground and probably the atmosphere. Further, what do you do with a buried used-up highly radioactive pile of junk in 30 years? Right now as I write this there are some 70,000+ metric tons of high level nuclear waste that no one planned on dealing with when the nuke industry was telling us nuclear power would be “too cheap to meter.” Now we are supposed to just have faith that having hundreds or thousands or tens of thousands of radioactive junk scattered all about the globe will somehow disappear? All this while solar, wind and geothermal technologies can power the entire economy without any waste, any chance of a melt-down and no need for multi-million year isolated waste storage. Sorry, the kid I am sure is smart, but he needs to spend some time in college and graduate school to hone his thinking. Let the flaming begin....

[@clglgcasey722]

David Comarow I am glad someone actually said it. Everyone is too busy ooooing and ahhhing over a kid talking about broad thermodynamics concepts to realize that he is not saying anything profound.

[@123kkambiz]

What a incredible young man, hope his ideas could be implemented in near future.

[@MrSuperBrite]

I hope Taylor gets to go space. I also hope Taylor is a down to Earth kind of guy.

[@ferrarif1360]

Wow.... This guy is amazing. Has all the tools and all the ambition, but beyond that he's doing everything the right way.

[@doktork3406]

he did not do anything so far and in hte video he was advocating for more molten salt reactors to be built not that is not his invention...those exist since 1960

[@scottn7cy]

These kind of talks are fun but they feel like scientific fast food

[@doodelay]

Great analogy

[@karlwolff8074]

We are now in 2019, where are the small nuclear fission reactors?

[@mrblackb6620]

Yep, that's what I think. Energy companies don't want it

[@taylorj6177]

He probably met someone and started worrying about a different kind of "chemistry."

[@Algorand12345]

As Peter Thiel said, no one invests in anything other than software anymore. There is no risk taking in this country. Financiers want a 10x return quickly without the R&D. Don’t count on any changes. We were more advanced 50 years ago than we are today in the Chemistry, Biology, and Physical sciences.

[@andersemil5541]

This is just a plan, not a prototype. Taylor guesses about 20 years in the future we could be able to mass produce them.

[@lostintime8651]

@@mrblackb6620 not true. they do. liberals democrats don't want it.

[@aeonikus1]

It's next to impossible to get licence for molten salt reactor in US. For various reasons, technical aspects of such solutions to powerful lobby from companies building big and expensive traditional water-cooled reactor power plants. Anyway, I wish him and his team all the best, we need more ppl like him. I wonder how is he doing now, in 2022, 8years after this Talk. How far he got with this?

[@robertfield4103]

"When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me." This guy is still a kid who has no experience in engineering or economics. These ideas are 60 years old and have not been adopted for good reason, the first of which relates to corrosion issues related to the molten salt. I have been a design engineer and project manager in the commercial nuclear power industry for more than 40 years and take my word for it, this kid is serving up tripe and I'm not chowing down.

[@NaokiWatanabe]

Haha. He said fusion is "20 or so years away", he must have read that in a book from 1955.

[@XzaviersOnlyFanGirl]

I think you're confusing fusion with fission. We have yet to figure out fusion. So, yes, fusion is still 20 or so years away. Fission, however, is what we use in nuclear power plants today. He's suggesting we change fission to hold us off until we can master fusion.

[@rieze33]

Emma Vrignaud We've been close to it for 60 years, they keep saying "20 or so years away". I don't think economically viable fusion is going to happen within the next 40 years, unless they get way more funding.

[@kistuszek]

Not any less relevant today. :D Besides, you know 20 is a magic number, most people can count to 20... :/

[@Zishy]

rieze33 when politics needs 3 years to decide where to put iter you will understand where most of the wasted time comes from

[@blueyedboymrdeath]

He was being kind and non-controversial to the fusion community. Fusion has ALWAYS been "20 years away" - what a laugh. What a huge kluge.

[@gregorytherocketscientist1317]

Taylor is an inspirational human - I think his reactor design is not a LFTR concept - but a pure “burner” and sealed or little management of the fuel system. The fact that is an MSR based system and he has the vision to pursue the Super Critical CO2 cycle brings me hope that investment in the commercial system is a bit closer to reality. Most of us watching this KNOW that once someone is successful with a MSR reactor there is no need to pursue Fussion - especially when Thorium chemical processing and MSBR/LFTR is figured out.

[@jimgriffiths9071]

Absolutely right on. Start making these things 24/7 and let's DO THIS!

[@Nandedkartejas]

He should meet modi, India is largest reservoir of Thorium like 2/3 rd of it in world is in just one country. Also India hav dedicated agency just for Thorium based nuclear reactor research.

[@abcxyz-ps4gc]

Hawk Who Knows All still wearing colonial shoes of grandpa? Grow up kid. It just makes whites look ignorant and dumbfucks.

[@gauraviift]

@Hawk Who Knows All U joker, who works 24/7. India took away jobs from you guys and we work standard 8-9 hours. Jobless - Have you lost mind or common sense. Master - Definitely you are not a master. Master is head of Coca Cola, Google etc. - All Indians. Will you even clear interview? I doubt with your primitive thoughts. RACIST IS THS WORD.

[@gauraviift]

@Hawk Who Knows All BTW u writing crap doesnt change the fact who owns 2/3 of reserves or BTW is our economy in billions of deficit? Are we a breed who survive by looting other nations ? Are we cheap enough to kill kids for Oil? Nopes, we all know US is one KILLER NATION driven by WAR as an INDUSTRY. You are best at hitting people - Go On and keen the rant on.

[@theinformationguys9391]

TED, TEDx and TEDed are very good sources for information on concepts and experiences.

[@vwbus65]

Did i miss the point where he told something new?

[@edwardcase]

Thorium reactors seem safer. China is on this track too I think. Thank you, Mr. Taylor, Wilson

[@crisbrackett2067]

Please bring more philosophical poetry young genious guy, they've been longing for each other to put the world back together. The youth have answers we never imagined.

[@thebachu786]

how much money would it cost in R+D to begin to roll out these reactors? could this be crowdfunded?? I agree with others that the energy giants that rule the world/NWO will never allow a macroscopic global energy competitor. I think the key strategy would be to pursue this at a globally decentralized smaller scale with the idea that it is open source for all of humanity. Linux meets thorium reactor?

[@jasoncook2294]

Now youve said it. I hope so!

[@propelegant]

See my comment,above R&D already extensive with a working reactor tested. Project shut down in the 70s because American government had other priorities. Huge mistake?

[@robgraham5584]

thebachu786 nope... currently its illegal to own or work with thorium. theres already a kickstarter campaign for it and several companies pushing the idea but the NRC is turning a blind eye. the one hope may be the military, who have their own nuclear regulatory agency, but so far they also seem uninterested

[@thebachu786]

thanks for that info. maybe its time for some billionaire to handle this... :)

[@DrZenith]

Rob Graham If what you say is true it's a goddam shame. Until we get fusion, Thorium, it seems to me (the amateur scientist) is the way to go. Why do we continue with Uranium with its waste problem and half-life of tens of thousands of years. Thorium!

[@garkporter]

love but these coal oil and power companies are not going to let it happen. I would have this young fella under 24 guard thats how important he is.

[@joec8389]

I totally agree with you on that he reminds me of a reincarnated young Tesla of today

[@hmarillejla7]

I too totally agree with you. Look at the pharmaceutical companies knowing that a natural cure for cancer exists but to hoard their millions they would rather let people suffer and die by promoting their so called chemo cures which do more harm than good.

[@sojournsojourntraveler1203]

He is not the only one working on this and I am GLAD. The current design was developed in the 50 under a timeline that is very flawed. The safer design needs to be implemented SOON.

[@jessicalema8649]

This guy does not talk about how the reason why you like using plutonium is because we are still using the by product, uranium, in order to make weapons. Cheap radioactive weapons. Thorium is as common as lead and produces less waste and radiation. Plus thorium is safer. Just saying, this talk should have addressed how amazing thorium is more and address how fucked up using plutonium and uranium is.

[@jessicalema8649]

But its TED and Bill Gates does not allow anything past mediocrity. Heavens forbid TED talk about something that goes against the wishes of the very wealthy.

[@kistuszek]

Well thorium is nice, but it will turn into uranium before it will fission. So plutonium, uranium, thorium who cares? A good reactor will burn em properly, and then put out end products separately so they can be useful instead of creating a mess. The key is using good reactors...

[@LuxiusDK]

This guy also does nothing but talk about the concept. Where's the proof?

[@kistuszek]

The proof is a reactor that ran a total of five years back in the 70's. So i dont know IF he made any contribution to current development or he just likes to talk.

[@LuxiusDK]

kistuszek I bet your "proof" is the story of a reactor that supposedly should have meen tested over the course of five years. Just a story ... right? Or have you seen all this with your own eyes? Like the aliens and Santa?

[@LuisVuiton]

In 2019 where is this start up 😋

[@trevorkoskela6954]

My mom is working with then young man, Can't give you much more than that since the project is best kept under wraps.

[@garciacontracting]

Very well prepared kid May God bless him

[@MrDjhano]

WOW Go TAYLOR dont listien to the nay sayers Be Brilliant shine like the star you are.

[@kimokla3874]

so what did he do 7 years gone sold out

[@tamelacegelske5098]

Dean Hansen amengift of God!

[@bruceburger4576]

Taylor is a Genius & will have a Very Bright Future , in what ever he sets his mind to accomplish !!! Well Done Young Man !!!

[@widg3tswidgets416]

I don't know why he is acting like he invented any of the ideas he's discussed.

[@smoothtriston6203]

+Widg3t's Widgets Have you ever seen the South Park episode where Cartman's ego causes him to remember great things he did that didn't actually happen? I imagine something like that is happening.

[@liquidmasl]

+Widg3t's Widgets you dont need to invent something new to innovate. thats kinda a false assumption nearly everyone makes-

[@smoothtriston6203]

In the presentation he makes it sound like he did invent all of the ideas he is presenting which he did not.

[@liquidmasl]

well thats what you have to do if you want to get funded as a CEO

[@smoothtriston6203]

No... many people get funding without being two faced liars.

[@asmrtalkinganimalshypnotiz3239]

Build a scaled down version 1st

[@fromscratch4109]

thank you, TED for always keeping me inspired about the future. what an amazing platform!

[@sacredkinetics.lns.8352]

So brilliant and innocent at the same time; like many others. Sooner they find out the reality of the evil primitive mentality of few.

[@kimokla3874]

yes sad just like they bought the elctric cars in 1983-87 sick profiteers scam of lobby

[@rastim8952]

All I can say. THE GRAND GRAND SON OF THE NICOLA TESLA. I only pray for him that all his inventions won't end up like some of the Tesla's. Destroyed or in wrong hands.

[@TheKingkingg]

Super awesome Tedtalk, awesome Tylor Wilson... please continue to help solve More of our human problems, but please don't let them do to you like they did to Tesla and so many others that meant well but others turn it into a way to control and make huge profits. Thank you.

[@pittyman]

The Russians were making sodium-heat-exchanging nuclear reactors since 70's. So I have no idea what this young in "invented". Maybe if he invent how to transfer with high eficiency the nuclear power direct into electricity... 🤪

[@xerive]

the Russians also made Chernobyl

[@robertmartello6551]

Yeah I will really believe you.

[@evilg2010]

Jre podcast brought me here.

[@mikeflanary642]

IvanZeternity get him on the podcast!

[@Loki.Lyesmyth]

Train all day!

[@chrishelmly6682]

I have no comment... Nothing I could say could express how blow away I am by this young man!

[@mach9713]

and.. why ain't we using this?