| NUKLEONIKA 2010, 55(3):407-408
THORIUM NUCLEAR FUEL - THORON ASPECTZbigniew P. Zagórski, Wojciech Głuszewski Centre for Radiation Research and Technology, Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, 16 Dorodna Str., 03-195 Warsaw, Poland The communication reports a serious complication connected with preparation, storage and transportation of fuel for thorium and uranium/thorium nuclear reactors. Whereas uranium fuel of any degree of enrichment is free from radium, which produces radon-222, thorium itself produces thoron (radon-220). Measurement of thoron by a routine ionization-chamber device around a small sample of 2 g thorium dioxide shows already the health endangerment situation. The presence of thoron is also confirmed by a typical solid state dosemeter (polymer CR-39), exposed to the air around ThO2 and etched afterwards with warm NaOH solution. The unavoidable presence of thoron can cause increase of price of production of nuclear fuel, demanding special approach to the method of manufacture. Close X |