Synthesis of thorium oxalate particles in a micro-reactor: Studying the effect of temperature and reactant concentration

Abstract

Thermal properties of thorium nuclear fuels are influenced by the shape and size distribution of thorium oxide particles. The production of thorium oxide is significantly influenced by the size and shape of the thorium oxalate particles which are typically formed during precipitation process. This study investigated the synthesis of these particles in a micro-reactor system. In summary, the findings showed that at high concentrations of oxalic acid, increasing the total flow rate to a certain extent leads to a decrease in the size of the particles. Also, it was found increasing the reaction temperature leads to larger particles.