• TTA Journal
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• s.140
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• pp.24-25
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• 2012

일본 후쿠시마 원전 사고 이후 우라늄 원자로의 단점이 부각되면서 원자력 발전의 안전성에 대한 관심이 부쩍 높아졌다. 전 세계는 기존의 우라늄 원전보다 더 안전한 대안을 찾고 있는데, 이것이 바로 토륨원자로다. 토륨원자로는 핵연료로 우라늄 대신 토륨을 사용한다. 토륨은 납보다 흔한 금속이다. 바닷가 모래 등에 토륨의 매장량이 풍부해 우라늄 4배에 달한다. 산출국이 편중된 우라늄에 비해 거의 모든 대륙에 고르게 매장돼 있고, 우라늄처럼 복잡한 가공처리 과정을 거치지 않아도 돼 활용하기도 쉽다. 또 토륨 원자로에서 나오는 방사능 폐기물은 우라늄보다 1000분의 1 이상 적다. 방사성 폐기물은 원자로 내부에서 태워지기 때문에 거의 나오지 않을 뿐만 아니라 방사능이 빨리 분해돼 반감기도 적다. 우라늄 원자로보다 구조도 간단하다. 이처럼 많은 장점에도 불구하고 토륨이 원자력 발전 연료로 사용되지 않은 이유는 무엇일까.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.22-28
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• 1986

Densities of a large number of mixed uranyl nitrate-thorium nitrate solutions were measured with pycnometer. By the least squares analysis of the experimental result, an empirical formula for determining water content of mixed uranyl nitrate-thorium nitrate solutions as functions of uranium concentration, thorium concentration and nitric acid normality is derived; $W=1.0-0.358\;C_u-0.4538\;C_{Th}-0.0307\;H^+$ where $W,\;C_u,\;C_{Th},\;and\;H^+$ stand for water content(g/cc), uranium concentration (g/cc), thorium concentration (g/cc), and nitric acid normality, respectively. Water contents of the mixed uranyl nitrate-thorium nitrate solutions are calculated by using the empirical formula, and compared with the values calculated by Bouly's equation in which an additional data, solution density, is required. The two results show good agreements within 2.7%.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.52-64
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• 2016

The production of nuclear energy from thorium which is non-fissile material was a main issue until the middle of 1970's, because of the thorium's abundance as energy resources, its capability of breeding fissile material U233, and the reduction of long-lived actinides. However, to use thorium as nuclear fuel, some obstacles such as the necessities of external neutron source and long-term neutron irradiation for effective breeding, and the production of high radioactive isotopes in the course of thorium breeding cycle should be overcome. The difficulties to resolve these cons of thorium cycle became the reason of interruption of the related researches in the middle of 1970's. But in the 21st century, the change of societal perspective regarding nuclear energy and the appearance of accelerator-driven nuclear reactor shift those cons into pros and rehabilitate the study of thorium. The high activity of thorium cycle turned out to be a good option as higher resistance and easier detectibility of nuclear proliferation and the employment of subcritical accelerator-driven reactor as external neutron sources is considered to enhance the nuclear safety. In this study we compare the thorium cycle with the currently-used uranium cycle and analyze the technical status and perspective of thorium researches which use accelerator-driven reactors.

• The Science & Technology
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• v.9 no.2 s.81
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• pp.26-30
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• 1976

방사성 동위원소 우라늄 과학 ㆍ의학 ㆍ농업에 이용 토륨(Th) 매장량 풍부

• Proceedings of the Korea Society for Energy Engineering kosee Conference
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• 1999.11a
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• pp.131-136
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• 1999

토륨은 자연계에서 유일한 동위원소인 Th-232로 존재하며 반감기는 1.4$\times$$10^{10}$년으로 U-238의 4.5$\times$$10^{9}$년에 비하여 약 3배 길고 매장량도 약 3배 많은 것으로 알려져 있다. 토륨은 원자력 초기 개발단계인 1950년대부터 우라늄에 관한 연구와 함께 시작되었지만, 70년대 중반 이후로는 토륨 핵연료 재처리의 어려움과 여러 정치적 이유로 이에 관한 연구가 거의 중단되었다.(중략)

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.20-25
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• 1996

Trace levels of uranium and thorium in geologic samples are determined rapidly by a direct wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence method. Relative intensity of scattered tube radiation was used as an internal standard to compensate for variations in instrumental operating characteristics. U and Th can be determined within a precision of ${\pm}10%$ and accuracy of ${\pm}15%$ or less with measuring times of 50 seconds for Th and 400 seconds for U, respectively. The results of XRF analysis were in good agreement with those of other methods such as nutron activation analysis and inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.289-302
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• 2023

The study area was Gangnim-myeon, Hoengseong-gun, Gangwon-do, composed of the Chiaksan gneiss complex, and it was revealed that the concentrations of uranium (U) and thorium (Th) within the groundwater of the study area exceeded their water quality standards. Hence, artificial weathering experiments were conducted to elucidate mineralogically the mechanisms of their leaching using drilling cores obtained from the corresponding groundwater aquifers. First of all, the mineralogical compositions of core samples were observed, and the results indicated that the content of clinochlore, a member of the chlorite group of minerals that can form through low- and intermediate-temperature metamorphisms, was relatively higher. In addition, the Th concentration was measured ten times higher than that of U. The results of artificial weathering experiments suggested that the Th concentrations gradually increased through the dissolution of radioactive-element-bearing minerals up to the first day, and then they tended to decrease. It could be attributed to the fact that Th was leached with the dissolution of thorite, which might be a secondary mineral, and then dissolved Th was re-precipitated as the various forms of salt, such as sulfate. Even though the U content was lower than that of Th in the core samples, the U concentration was one hundred times higher than that of Th after the weathering experiments. It is likely caused by the gradual dissolution and desorption of U included in intensively weathered thorite or adsorbed as a form of UO₂²⁺ on the mineral surface. In addition, the leaching tendency of U and Th was positively correlated with the bicarbonate concentration. However, the concentrations between U and Th in groundwater exhibited a relatively lower correlation, which might result from the fact that they occurred from different sources, as aforementioned. Among various kinetic models, the parabolic diffusion and pseudo-second-order kinetic models were confirmed to best fit the dissolution kinetics of both elements. The period that would be taken for the U concentration to exceed its drinking-water standard was inferred using the regressed parameters of the best-fitted models, and the duration of 29.4 years was predicted in the neutral-pH aquifers with relatively higher concentrations of HCO₃, indicating that U could be relatively quickly leached out into groundwater.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1997.05a
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• pp.96-101
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• 1997

양자가속기를 외부 중성자 공급원으로 하여 미임계 운전을 가능하게 하고 토륨을 핵연료로 사용하므로 장주기 핵종과 핵무기 재료물질의 발생량을 현저히 줄일 수 있는 새로운 노형인 energy amplifier에 대한 연구가 CERN을 중심으로 활발히 진행되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 토륨주기에 대하여 고정 중성자속 조사에 의한 핵분열 및 방사붕괴에 관한 모델을 정립하여 다수의 연립선형 미분방정식으로 구성하여 Runge Kutta 5-6차 자동시간 간격 수치해법을 이용하여 계산하였다. 결과는 1014의 고정 중성자속에 대하여 충분한 U233의 생산이 평형상태에 도달하고 장주기 핵종도 우라늄 주기에 비하여 현저히 줄어듬을 보이므로 가속기를 이용한 토륨 핵연료 주기의 타당성을 확인하였다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.56.2-56.2
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• 2003

• Proceedings of the Korean Nuclear Society Conference
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• 1998.05a
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• pp.46-51
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• 1998

토륨핵연료를 이용한 플루토늄 소모에 대한 연구를 목적으로 조직된 IAEA CRP(Coordinated Research Program) 업무의 일환으로, 농축우라늄 및 플루토늄을 seed로한 토륨핵연료를 국내의 900MWe 가압경수로에 이용하였을 경우에 플루토늄을 비롯한 heavy isotope의 원소량 변화, 사용 후 핵연료로부터의 방사능 준위, 노심의 반응도 특성을 분석하여 혼합핵연료 노심과 비교하였다. (Th+Pu)O$_2$,는 혼합핵연료 보다 플루토늄의 소모량이 약 2.4배 많으며, fissile 플루토늄 원소의 존재비율은 10% 정도 더 감소하는 것으로 나타나 플루토늄 소모의 특성이 유리하고 핵비확산 성격이 강한 것으로 나타났다 사용후 핵연료의 방사능은, 핵연료가 노심에서 바로 인출된 시점에서 는 (Th+Pu)O$_2$,가 가장 낮으나, 그 이후로는 (Th+Pu)O$_2$와 혼합핵연료의 방사능은 비슷한 반면, (Th+U)O$_2$,의 방사능이 가장 낮은 것으로 나타나 장기적으로는 (Th+U)O$_2$가 가장 유리하다. 대략적인 전환비는 (Th+Pu)O$_2$노심이 약 0.56, (Th+U)O$_2$ 노심은 약 0.63, 혼합핵연료 노심은 약 0.61 정도로 추정되었다. 토륨핵연료의 연소도에 따른 반응도 변화, 가돌리니아봉의 중성자 횹수 성질 및 반응도 특성 등 노심특성은 seed 물질의 특성과 함량에 따라 좌우되는 것으로 나타났다.