Design of world's first Thorium based nuclear reactor is ready

[hunter]

4. That's how the thorium fuel cycle works.

As the reactor is running thorium is transmuted into fissile ²³³U which is the actual "fuel" of the reactor.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorium_fuel_cycle

But it does take plutonium and ²³³U from another reactor to start the reaction. Once started, new thorium fuel bundles can be added as the spent bundles are removed.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_heavy-water_reactor

This reactor design seems to be quite flexible in the fuels it can utilize. I can't find right away any documentation for the actual fuel cycles planned. It probably depends on what sorts of potential fuels they have on hand and what their fuel reprocessing capabilities are.