Development of LEU (low enriched uranium) targets for sup 99 Mo production and their chemical processing status, 1989

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1989

OSTI ID:5612565

Vandegrift, G F; Kwok, J D; Chamberlain, D B; Hoh, J C; Streets, E W; Vogler, S; Thresh, H R; Domagala, R F; Wiencek, T C; Matos, J E

Most of the world's supply of {sup 99m}Tc for medical purposes is currently produced from {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 current target designs will allow equivalent {sup 99}Mo yields with no 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. Efforts performed in 1989 focused on (1) fabrication of a uranium metal target by Hot Isostatic Pressing uranium metal foil to zirconium, (2) experimental investigation of the dissolution step for U{sub 3}Si{sub 2} targets, allowing us to present a conceptual design for the dissolution process and equipment, and (3) investigation of the procedures used to reclaim irradiation uranium from Mo-production targets, allowing us to further analyze the waste and by-product problems associated with the substitution of LEU for HEU. 18 refs., 6 figs., 1 tab.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE/NE
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5612565
• Report Number(s): CONF-8909141-1; ON: DE90001428
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY
400703* -- Radiochemistry & Nuclear Chemistry-- Radioisotope Production
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CHALCOGENIDES
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DISSOLUTION
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FABRICATION
HOT PRESSING
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
HYDROXIDES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
MATERIALS WORKING
METALS
MOLYBDENUM 99
MOLYBDENUM ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PRESSING
RADIOISOTOPES
SILICIDES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SODIUM HYDROXIDES
TARGETS
TECHNETIUM 99
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM OXIDES
URANIUM SILICIDES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ZIRCONIUM