1992 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
Thorium Fuel Cycle as a Promising Energy Source in and after 21st Century
| Project/Area Number |
02302089
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Co-operative Research (A)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Research Field |
Nuclear engineering
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| Research Institution | KYOTO UNIVERSITY |
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Principal Investigator |
KIMURA Itsuro Kyoto University, Fac. of Engg., Professor, 工学部, 教授 (40027404)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
FURUYA Hirotaka Kyushu University, Fac. of Engg., Professor, 工学部, 教授 (30112311)
FURUKAWA Kazuo Tokai University, Inst, of Research and Development, Professor, 開発技術研究所, 教授 (90165465)
SEKIMOTO Hiroshi Tokyo Institute of Technology, Res. Lab. for Nuclear Reactors, Professor, 原子炉工学研究所, 教授 (00108242)
YAMAWAKI Michio University of Tokyo, Fac. of Engg., Professor, 工学部, 教授 (30011076)
HIRAKAWA Naohiro Tohoku University, Fac of Engg., Professor, 工学部, 教授 (20005391)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1990 – 1992
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| Keywords | thorium / thorium fuel / thorium cycle / uranium 233 / reactor design / critical experiment / molten salt / reprocessing |
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| Research Abstract |
1. Design studies of thorium fueled reactors: (1) Nuclear data; mass yield and neutron spectrum of the fission of U-233 and double differential cross section of Th-232 for 18 MeV neutrons were measured. (2) Reactor design studies; molten salt reactors for transmutation of long-lived minor actinides, fast reactors loading Th-232, three types of thermal reactors for U-233 production, molten salt power reactors named FUJI and mini-FUJI and accelerator breeders were designed. (3) Critical experiment of thorium loaded cores was carried out at KUCA and the result is compared with calculation. (4) Preliminary study of 14 MeV neutron transport in thorium and in thoria was done at KUCA. 2. Studies of thorium fuels and other reactor materials: (1) Thorium fuels; U-Th-Ti-Zr alloy was newly made and its hydrogen absorption properties were measured. The chemical diffusion coefficients of oxygen in ThO_2-UO_<2+x>was obtained. High burnup behavior of thorium oxide fuels was observed. (2) Molten salt studies; corrosion of Ni and Cr by residual moisture in molten LiF-BeF_2, diffusion coefficient of actinides and fission products in molten LiF-BeF_2, electrochemical behavior of Y in molten LiCl-KCl-Nacl and release rate of T from molten LiF-BeF_2 were measured. (3) Uranium enrichment; Anomalous isotope effects in chemical exchange uranium enrichment process was discovered. (4) Reprocessing; Solvent extraction of Th, U and some metals from nitrate solution of organophosphinic acid was investigated. 3. Study of radiation safety in thorium cycle: A passive integrating thoron(^<222>Rn) monitor was developed and was applied to measure thoron and radon(^<220>Rn) in a city.
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