10/4/12 Comments By Long-Time Oak Ridge Director Lee Dodds

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Cal Burgart
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10/4/12 Comments By Long-Time Oak Ridge Director Lee Dodds

Post by Cal Burgart »

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---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Sources
Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2012 15:59:26 -0600
From: Calvin Burgart
To: John Karls
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I contacted one my sources, the former head of the University of Tennessee Nuclear Engineering Department. We were in graduate school at the same time, back in the '60's. He is paraphrased on p.24 of Super Fuel. His response to a question by Kirk Sorensen doesn't quite match Martin's paraphrase. See email below.

See you at the meeting.

Cal


---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Re: Sources
Date: Sat, 06 Oct 2012 11:22:19 -0600
From: John Karls
To: Calvin Burgart
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Dear Cal,

You claim that Lee Dodds’ e-mail (which follows immediately below for your convenience) “doesn’t quite match [our author’s] paraphrase” on p. 24 of “Super Fuel.”

Page 24 of Super Fuel states: “Sorenson’s new professors at UT, including Lee Dodds, basically said, ‘If thorium power was so great, it would’ve been done a long time ago.’”

It strikes me that that is precisely what Lee Dodds is saying in his e-mail to you!!!

His e-mail states: “Development of the LFTR [Liquid Floride Thorium Reactor] is a very long term project, primarily because most everyone focuses on LWRs [Light Water (uranium) Reactors] now and in the foreseeable future. In other words, the focus is on what we already know how to do. The LFTR could be a shorter term project if it were to be well funded, which is not the case, so it is long term.”

The question that cries out for an answer???

If the LFTR “could be a shorter term project if it were well funded” then why isn’t it well funded???

It strikes me that the answer to why it isn’t well funded is that the nation’s Nuclear Science Laboratory at Oak Ridge, including its long-time director Lee Dodds, haven’t pushed for proper LFTR funding.

And why haven’t the nation’s Nuclear Science Laboratory and Lee Dodds pushed for proper LFTR funding???

Probably because of the attitude -- “If thorium power was so great, it would’ve been done a long time ago.”

No need to respond since I am only speculating and you would probably only be speculating in return.

See you at the meeting.

Your friend,

John K.

PS = I’m amazed that you have owned a 1966 Corvette for 47 years and counting!!! And that Lee Dodd’s PS says that “J” (who I assume is Mrs. Dodds) bought a 1988 Corvette!!! After all, you and Lee Dodds (and perhaps “J” as well) are engineers even if you aren’t Automotive Engineers or Mechanical Engineers!!! As an undergraduate in the 1960’s, I often borrowed the Corvette of a fraternity brother and it always lived up to its reputation = “a rocket with four wheels attached with no suspension, so God forbid you should ever hit a bump or have to corner”!!! So what happened to you when the rest of us hit mid-life crisis (aka “Porsche time”!!!)???


---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: RE: Hello Lee!
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2012 21:45:08 +0000
From: Dodds, Harold L
To: Calvin Burgart
CC: Kirk Sorensen
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Cal,

The Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor is an interesting concept with many advantages (see Kirk Sorensen's videos on YouTube about the LFTR). Kirk is a very bright young man, who is also one of our part-time graduate students. I invited him to present a paper on the concept at the LCES2011 meeting in Dalian, China. He wrote the paper, but he asked me to give it because he could not attend, so I presented his paper. Development of the LFTR is a very long term project, primarily because most everyone focuses on LWRs now and in the foreseeable future. In other words, the focus is on what we already know how to do. The LFTR could be a shorter term project if it were to be well funded, which is not the case, so it is long term. I hope this information helps. Let's stay in touch.

Lee

P.S. I bought a 1988 corvette, drove it for about 18 months and put only 1000 miles on it. So I got rid of it J. I still remember having a gear shift problem when I drove your corvette L, which embarrassed me.

H. L. Dodds

IBM Professor and Department Head, Emeritus
U. of Tennessee Nuclear Engineering Department
Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-2300


---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
From: Calvin Burgart
Sent: Thursday, October 04, 2012 4:31 PM
To: Dodds, Harold L
Subject: Hello Lee!
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Sounds like you are "sort of retired", "not retired".

What prompted me to contact you was reading a book titled "Super Fuel", in which you are mentioned! Maybe not exactly the way you would have preferred it. It sounds like Kirk Sorensen was at UT after I left in '69, true?? What DO you think about LFTR's?? I have a friend here in Salt Lake City who chairs a book club. Since I am his nuclear expert, cough cough, - the last time I did anything with neutrons was 1974 - he especially invited me to attend this month's session which is on thorium fueled reactors. I was at ORNL during the MSRE days, but had nothing to do with it. I sort of remember "breeders", but my nuclear knowledge has to be dug out of my brain with some difficulty.

I would be glad to convey to this group your position on the USA pursuing this approach, publicly or privately. From what I read, it
seems like it will not happen. Meanwhile, light water reactors are building up a nice inventory of spent fuel at all the plants, with no plan for reprocessing, and Yucca Mountain being put on indefinite or maybe permanent hold.

Regards,

Whenever I tell someone about my '66 Corvette, I always remember you as being one of the very few to have ever driven it. Still looks good and runs great after 47 years!

Cal

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