An in-situ analysis and measurement of thorium-234,uranium isotopes in seawater

摘要

A low-level β counting-α spectrum apparatus used for the detection of the β radiation of thorium-234 and α spectrum of thorium-228 simultaneously and an easy operating procedure for the enrichment, radiochemical separating, sampling and measurement of thorium-234 and uranium-238 in the ocean are developed based on the requirements of analyzing export productivity in the euphotic zone via thorium-234-uranium-238 radioactivity disequilibrium. The detecting efficiency both of β and α radiation is higher than 20%. The background of β radiation is less than 0.5 min-1, and the energy resolution of α detector is better than 1%. Total recycle ratio of thorium-234 is about 75%. Using the above apparatus and procedure, the radioactivities of dissolved thorium-234 and uranium-238, particle thorium-234 and uranium-238 in seawater of the South China Sea, the Southern Ocean and the Arctic Ocean were analyzed.