Preparation of Homogeneous Thorium Oxide Powders for Development of Certified Reference Materials

Abstract

In view of the growing importance of Thorium Oxide (ThO₂) as a fuel in nuclear power reactors, it is essential to develop Certified Reference Materials (CRMs) for trace level assay of ThO₂ in order to validate analytical methods and also to assess the performance of an individual chemical laboratory. The present paper discusses the preparation of four batches of homogeneous Thorium Oxide (ThO₂) powders on kilogram levels including a batch of ThO₂ and Natural UO₂ mixed oxide with varying amounts of impurities and also developing them as CRMs based on round robin tests.