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Title: Target-fueled nuclear reactor for medical isotope production

Abstract

A small, low-enriched, passively safe, low-power nuclear reactor comprises a core of target and fuel pins that can be processed to produce the medical isotope .sup.99Mo and other fission product isotopes. The fuel for the reactor and the targets for the .sup.99Mo production are the same. The fuel can be low enriched uranium oxide, enriched to less than 20% .sup.235U. The reactor power level can be 1 to 2 MW. The reactor is passively safe and maintains negative reactivity coefficients. The total radionuclide inventory in the reactor core is minimized since the fuel/target pins are removed and processed after 7 to 21 days.

Inventors:
;
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1366488
Patent Number(s):
9691511
Application Number:
12/845,497
Assignee:
Sandia Corporation
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
G - PHYSICS G21 - NUCLEAR PHYSICS G21G - CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ELEMENTS
DOE Contract Number:  
AC04-94AL85000
Resource Type:
Patent
Resource Relation:
Patent File Date: 2010 Jul 28
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS

Citation Formats

Coats, Richard L., and Parma, Edward J. Target-fueled nuclear reactor for medical isotope production. United States: N. p., 2017. Web.
Coats, Richard L., & Parma, Edward J. Target-fueled nuclear reactor for medical isotope production. United States.
Coats, Richard L., and Parma, Edward J. Tue . "Target-fueled nuclear reactor for medical isotope production". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1366488.
@article{osti_1366488,
title = {Target-fueled nuclear reactor for medical isotope production},
author = {Coats, Richard L. and Parma, Edward J.},
abstractNote = {A small, low-enriched, passively safe, low-power nuclear reactor comprises a core of target and fuel pins that can be processed to produce the medical isotope .sup.99Mo and other fission product isotopes. The fuel for the reactor and the targets for the .sup.99Mo production are the same. The fuel can be low enriched uranium oxide, enriched to less than 20% .sup.235U. The reactor power level can be 1 to 2 MW. The reactor is passively safe and maintains negative reactivity coefficients. The total radionuclide inventory in the reactor core is minimized since the fuel/target pins are removed and processed after 7 to 21 days.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 27 00:00:00 EDT 2017},
month = {Tue Jun 27 00:00:00 EDT 2017}
}

Works referenced in this record:

Production of High Purity Fission Product Molybdenum-99
patent, March 1974


Novel method of producing radioactive iodine
patent, December 1976


Reactor containment facilities
patent, March 1994


Medical isotope production reactor
patent, January 1997


Light water reactor core and fuel assembly
patent, January 2003


Handoff Methods And Assemblies For Refueling A Nuclear Reactor
patent-application, July 2008