Development and processing of LEU targets for {sup 99}Mo production-overview of the ANL program

Conference · Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1995

OSTI ID:146775

Snelgrove, J L; Hofman, G L; Wiencek, T C ^[1]

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1. and others

Most of the world`s supply of {sup 99m}Tc for medical purposes is currently produced from the decay of {sup 99}Mo derived from the fissioning of high-enriched uranium (HEU). Substitution of low-enriched uranium (LEU) silicide fuel for the HEU alloy and aluminide fuels used in most current target designs will allow equivalent {sup 99}Mo yields with little change in target geometries. Substitution of uranium metal for uranium oxide films in other target designs will also allow the substitution of LEU for HEU. During 1995, we have continued to study the modification of current targets and processes to allow the conversion from HEU to LEU. A uranium-metal-foil target was fabricated at ANL and irradiated to prototypic burnup in the Indonesian RSG-GAS reactor. Postirradiation examination indicated that minor design modifications will be required to allow the irradiated foil to be removed for chemical processing. Means to dissolve and process LEU foil have been developed, and a mock LEU foil target was processed in Indonesia. We have also developed means to dissolve the LEU foil in alkaline peroxide, where it can be used to replace HEU targets that are currently dissolved in base before recovering and purifying the {sup 99}Mo. We have also continued work on the dissolution of U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} and have a firm foundation on dissolving these targets in alkaline peroxide. The technology-exchange agreement with Indonesia is well underway, and we hope to expand our international cooperations in 1996.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31-109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 146775
• Report Number(s): ANL/TD/CP-88125; CONF-9509253-2; ON: DE96002767; TRN: 96:001296
• Resource Relation: Conference: 18. international meeting on reduced enrichment for research and test reactors, Paris (France), 18-21 Sep 1995; Other Information: PBD: Sep 1995
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 NUCLEAR REACTOR TECHNOLOGY
55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
MOLYBDENUM 99
PRODUCTION
RESEARCH AND TEST REACTORS
ISOTOPE PRODUCTION
ENRICHMENT
URANIUM SILICIDES
TARGETS
TECHNETIUM 99
FUEL PLATES
FUEL PINS
FOILS
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
HIGHLY ENRICHED URANIUM
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
ANL
NUCLEAR MEDICINE