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Title: Modifications to LEU-Modified Cintichem Process to Allow Processing of Fission-Produced 99Mo from Up to 750 g of Irradiated Uranium Targets

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1825504· OSTI ID:1825504
 [1];  [1]
  1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Eden Radioisotopes, LLC is developing a TRIGA* -sized, 2 MW all-target reactor system licensed from Sandia National Laboratories. This all-target reactor uses up to 60 Argonne-designed annular LEU-foil targets to produce fission-produced 99Mo. The Eden low-enriched uranium (LEU) target contains ~137 g of uranium and will be irradiated at up to 30 kW, with a target burnup determined by the number of targets processed each week. The annular target utilizes metallic uranium foils 400 mm long by 72 mm wide by 250±25 -µm-thick covered by a thin (10 µm on each face) nickel fission barrier. The foil is placed between two 35 mil aluminum tubes that form the outer and inner walls of the cladding cylinder, which is hydroformed to provide high thermal conductivity within the target. Eden expects to process between three and five targets per process batch, to maintain the process batch 99Mo inventory at or below 5000 curies to maintain high 99Mo recovery, within a few hours of discharge from the reactor. Eden expects to meet full U.S. demand by processing 30 targets per week, with each target operated for two weeks at 30 kW. To meet less than full U.S. demand, both the target power and the number of targets processed weekly will be adjusted. With increased 99Mo production and given the size of U targets processed in a single batch (up to ~750g-U), it is important to identify whether any modifications are needed to the LEU-modified Cintichem process.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1825504
Report Number(s):
ANL-21/47; 171365; TRN: US2301887
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English