Thorium Rocket Questions

Hi, I am "designing" a thorium nuclear rocket and I have a few
questions.

First of all, does Thorium use a neturon moderator? The question is,
assuming the external neutrons are slowed down, do we need to moderate
neutrons to make the Uranium 233 fission?

Secondly, WHY is Uranium 233 a fissionable substance when Uranium 234
is so stable? I don't understand why Uranium 233 will fission.

For my design, I currently have a quartz lightbulb with 100% Thorium
metal inside and an external neutron source (proton particle
accelerator with lead spallation target, or improved fransworth fusor
running on deuterium). Beryllium oxide surrounds the thing to
cyllendrically keep neutrons in (they can still escape out the ends).

Do I need a neutron moderator to complete the picture?

Thirdly, my question is, what happens when we let the Thorium melt and
it begins to boil into a gas? Can quartz hold thorium at that high
pressure? What exactly is the logic of a gas-core nuclear reactor? How
can you confine the gas at the ultrahigh pressure we need? If you used
Uranium Hexafloride, wouldn't the energy density be too low for a
rocket at 1 atm?

How much pressure can quartz withstand?


Thanks

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Iran to Begin Enriching Uranium for Nuclear Weapons
    ... > First I've heard of using thorium. ... > apparently can be mined much like uranium. ... > get all the neutrons to bombard it with to make U233. ... A blanket around the core/other component of the fuel rod is ...
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  • Re: Iran to Begin Enriching Uranium for Nuclear Weapons
    ... >> First I've heard of using thorium. ... >> apparently can be mined much like uranium. ... >> get all the neutrons to bombard it with to make U233. ... >being absorbed in the blanket and not escape to be lost to the ...
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    ... >>>You need 1 for the next fission in the chain reacton leaving ... most of the neutrons will end ... >>>thorium back in the blanket. ... >> a product of Thorium decay. ...
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  • Re: Thorium Nuclear Reactors
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