Since we already know how to breed fuel from thorium, I'm not sure I see the need for developing exotic new technologies that accomplish the same thing. Unless this is a case of particle physicists trying to sell an R&D program to build themselves some new toys.
Not that that's a bad thing.
Many different design proposals exist, but the basic concept would use an intense proton accelerator to produce high-energy, or fast, neutrons with energies of approximately 10 million electronvolts. Place thorium in the stream of neutrons, and it transmutes, or changes, to uranium, resulting in an abundant supply of nuclear fuel. As a bonus, the accelerator would also destroy the majority of the nuclear waste.
In order to make accelerator-driven nuclear reactors a reality, scientists need to develop an accelerator that is 10 times more intense than any existing machine. A renewed interest in accelerator-driven nuclear energy, as well as a proposed linear collider, pushed scientists to explore new technologies, such as superconducting radiofrequency cavities, to build a high-intensity proton accelerator. It also led to workshops like the one that will take place at Fermilab in October.
“We need to concentrate on solving the accelerator intensity problem. A high-intensity accelerator at Fermilab will help solve a number of physics needs, such as those for a proposed muon collider,” says Fermilab physicist and workshop organizer Rajendran Raja. “It is also the opportune time to examine accelerator-driven nuclear reactors.”
Attendees at the Workshop on the Applications of High-Intensity Proton Accelerators will discuss the challenges for building a high-intensity proton accelerator, focusing specifically on superconducting linear accelerators and their potential applications. The workshop will help advance the design of Fermilab’s proposed Project X and other future accelerators that may use superconducting rf technology. Attendees will also explore other physics programs that will benefit from a high-intensity proton accelerator, such as a proposed neutrino factory and rare kaon and muon decay studies.
http://www.symmetrymagazine.org/breaking/2009/09/23/driving-nuclear-energy-with-proton-accelerators/