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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

Studies on Thorium Adsorption Characteristics upon Activated Titanium Hydroxide Prepared from Rosetta Ilmenite Concentrate

The titanium hydroxide prepared from Rosetta ilmenite concentrate has been applied for Th (IV) adsorption from its acid aqueous solutions. The prepared hydroxide is first characterized by both Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrum and thermogravimetric analysis. The relevant factors affecting the adsorption process have been studied. The obtained equilibrium data fits well with the Langmuir isotherm rather than Freundlich isotherm, while the adsorption kinetic data follow the pseudo-second order model. The different thermodynamic parameters have also been calculated and indicate that the adsorption process is spontaneous.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Investigating Enhanced Thorium Ionization in TIMS Using Re/Pt Porous Ion Emitters

Thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS) is a widely used, benchmark method in the isotopic analysis of actinides relevant to various nuclear and geological fields. Despite significant previous use and inherent advantages, however, poor sample ionization continues to hamper the use of TIMS in the measurement of trace species; actinide ionization efficiencies frequently fall below 0.1 % using traditional instrument sources. Factors leading to poor ionization are compounded in the measurement of several highly refractory metals (e.g. U and Th) that may provide key signatures data in non-proliferation, safeguards and forensics efforts. Herein, a relatively new TIMS ion source strategy, employing porous ion emitters (PIEs) atop traditional filament assemblies, is investigated for the first time as a straightforward means of enhancing the ionization of Th, which is arguably a worst case scenario for TIMS-based actinide measurements. These sources yielded up to 410% greater Th sample utilization, relative to previously published values and in-house measurements collected using traditional methods. Accompanying scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigations provide preliminary insight into possible mechanisms of PIE functioning and explore the impacts that extended heating have on the constructed source’s structure and composition.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

A Backward Euler Doubling Feasibility Study Based on Thorium Series Cascade

The solution to the Bateman equations of radioactive decay are central to burnup calculations for operational nuclear reactors. There are several excellent methods of solving the equations of radioactive decay, with the CRAM algorithm as one of the best, at least for constant flux burnup. In this work, we attempt to investigate the feasibility of a relatively straight forward algorithm based simply on finite difference and doubling and apply the resulting benchmark to a recently developed decay chain formulation. A simple Backward Euler Doubling Finite Difference (BEDFD) method for solving first order ordinary differential equations is developed with enhanced precision through the convergence acceleration. Numerical results of two analytically solvable test problems clearly demonstrated that this newly proposed method is robust and accurate. Therefore, this method could be promising in solving larger depletion problems-our next effort in our comparisons with TTA. (authors)

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Backbonding in Thorium(IV) and Uranium(IV) Diarsenido Complexes with t BuNC and CO

The coordination of tBuNC and CO with the diarsenido complexes (C 5 Me 5 ) 2 An(η 2 -As 2 Mes 2 ), An=Th, U, has been investigated. For the first time, a comparison between isostructural complexes of Th IV and U IV has been possible with CO; density functional calculations indicated an appreciable amount of π backbonding that originates from charge transfer from an actinide-arsenic sigma bond. The calculated CO stretching frequencies in the Th IV and U IV diarsenido complexes are consistent with the experimental measurements, both show large shifts to lower frequency. We demonstrate that the π backbonding is crucial to explaining the red shifts of CO frequency upon An IV complex formation. Interestingly, this interaction essentially correlates to the parallel orientation of π*(C-O) orbitals relative to the An-As bond.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

The electronic structure of thorium monoxide: Ligand field assignment of states in the range 0–5 eV

Configuration interaction ligand field theory (CI LFT) calculations of the electronic energy levels of ThO were performed by treating the molecular electronic states as Th 2+ free-ion levels perturbed by the ligand field of O 2- . Twenty nine experimentally characterized ThO v = 0 energy levels, together with the energy difference between the v = 0 levels of the Y and W states were fitted using a CI LFT model that included Th 2+ 7s 2 , 6d7s, 6d 2 , 7s7p, 6d7p, 5f7s, and 7p 2 configurations. Predictions from these calculations were used to provide tentative assignments for 171 out of 250 ThO band heads listed by Gatterer et al. [“Molecular Spectra of Metallic Oxides”, Specola Vaticana (1957)]. Term energies for 30 electronic states have been determined based on these assignments. Subsequently, the CI LFT model was refined by fitting to a set of 59 electronic term energies. The inclusion of CI effects together with integer valence, atomic-in-molecule, ionic bonding ideas reveals atomic energy level patterns that are multiply replicated in the molecular energy level patterns of six Th 2+ O 2- atomic ion configurations (6d7s, 6d 2 , 7s7p, 6d7p, 5f7s, and 7p 2 ) revealing the underlying atomic ion structure that gives rise to the complex and seemingly erratic unassigned bands reported in the Vatican Atlas.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Temperature dependence of uranium and thorium partitioning in igneous zircons

Zircon is a key mineral in geochronology because of its chemical and physical durability and tendency to incorporate radioactive trace elements such as U and Th. Quantifying the partitioning of the actinide elements is critical to constrain initial non-secular equilibrium amounts of 230 Th in zircon. An excess or deficit of 206 Pb will be produced from such an initial excess/deficit of 230 Th from the secular equilibrium condition, which influences the calculated 206 Pb/ 238 U age (Schärer, 1984, Mattinson, 1973). However, there is no standard way to calculate Th/U partitioning ratios when applying age corrections to young igneous zircon, making uncertainties hard to estimate. To better understand U and Th partitioning of zircon/melt that is the cornerstone of the secular disequilibrium correction, zircon was synthesized in one-atmosphere experiments using basaltic andesite, andesite, and rhyolite starting materials, doped with Zr, U, and Th. Different experimental temperatures and oxygen fugacity conditions (ΔQFM−4 to ΔQFM+4) were explored to examine their effects on U and Th partitioning. In addition, we specifically quantify the effects of sector zoning, fractional crystallization, and melt composition on U and Th partitioning. By combining experimental and natural zircon data, we find that temperature has the primary control on the partitioning of U and Th in the zircon and calibrate an inverse relationship between these partition coefficients and crystallization temperatures. The calibrated equation can be applied to the 230 Th correction for an improvement in the accuracy of Th-corrected 206 Pb/ 238 U dates when the zircon crystallization temperature is known.

206Pb/238U dating↗