Processing of low-burnup LEU (low enriched uranium) silicide targets

Conference · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6790999

Kwok, J D; Vandegrift, G F; Matos, J E

Currently much of the world's supply of /sup 99m/Tc for medical purposes is produced from ZZMo 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 ZZMo yields with no change in target geometries. In these studies, targets were irradiated to low burnup (10/sup /minus/5/%) to produce fission products and STZNp at concentrations conveniently measured by gamma spectroscopy. Processing was done by dissolution of LEU targets in acid or base followed by alumina column recovery ZZMo. Acid dissolution is more rapid, but precipitation of silica results in loss of ZZMo. Dissolution of U3Si2--Al targets in base requires more processing steps than the current process for UAl/sub x/--Al fuel. A two-step process of first dissolving the 6061Al cladding and fuel meat aluminum, and then dissolving the U3Si2 fuel particles, has the advantage of eliminating the aluminum from further processing. Loss of ZZMo during the aluminum dissolution is attributed to recoil of ZZMo out of the silicide particles during irradiation. A larger particle size would decrease this ZZMo loss. 6 refs., 4 figs., 2 tabs.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab., IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 6790999
• Report Number(s): CONF-8809221-1; ON: DE89003892
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400105* -- Separation Procedures
ACTINIDE COMPOUNDS
ACTINIDES
ALUMINIUM
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BURNUP
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTS
ENRICHED URANIUM
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FEASIBILITY STUDIES
HOURS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPE ENRICHED MATERIALS
ISOTOPES
MATERIALS
METALS
MOLYBDENUM 99
MOLYBDENUM ISOTOPES
NUCLEI
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PROCESSING
PRODUCTION
RADIOISOTOPES
SILICIDES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SLIGHTLY ENRICHED URANIUM
SYNTHESIS
TECHNETIUM 99
TECHNETIUM ISOTOPES
URANIUM
URANIUM COMPOUNDS
URANIUM SILICIDES
YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES