Transcript Status of IAEA Mo-99 Activities Ira N. Goldman, Natesan Ramamoorthy, and Pablo Adelfang International Atomic Energy Agency 11 June 2007 NAS Medical Radioisotope Study Washington,

Status of IAEA Mo-99 Activities
Ira N. Goldman, Natesan Ramamoorthy, and Pablo Adelfang
International Atomic Energy Agency
11 June 2007
NAS Medical Radioisotope Study
Washington, DC
IAEA Mo-99 Activities
Background
• Support HEU minimization
• Consultants Report on Small-Scale Fission Molybdenum Production
from Low Enriched Uranium, IAEA, July 2003
• Consultants Meeting on Mo-99 from LEU, IAEA, November 2004
• Coordinated Research Project on Developing Techniques for SmallScale Indigenous Production of Mo-99 Using LEU or Neutron Activation
(T.1.20.18) – ongoing 2005-2009
IAEA Mo-99 Activities
CRP Objectives
• Foster capacity building for local/regional self-sufficiency
and access to nuclear medicine, sustainable development.
• Assist member states with adoption of LEU-Modified
Cintichem (foil targets) or neutron activation (gel moly)
technology.
• Provide technical and material assistance to perform trial
irradiations, bench-scale separation of Mo-99, meeting
purity specifications, and prepare TECDOC.
• NOT aimed at existing large-scale producers (but they are
participating/contributing)
IAEA Mo-99 Activities
CRP Participants
Contracts:
• LEU Foil: Chile (CCHEN), Libya (DRETC), Pakistan (PINSTECH),
Romania (INR Pitesti)
• Neutron Activation/Gel Moly – Kazakhstan (INP), Romania (IFIN-HH
Magurele)
Agreements:
• Argentina (CNEA), India (BARC-BRIT), Indonesia (BATAN), Korea
(KAERI), US (ANL), US (MURR)
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NEW - Poland (POLATOM)
RECEIVED – Egypt (EAEA)
EXPECTED – Russia (Institute of Nuclear Materials Zarechny)
IAEA Mo-99 Activities
2nd RCM Bucharest April 2007
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Extensive discussions on technical topics including:
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Foil target thermohydraulics analysis using computational fluid dynamics code
Fluent (University of Missouri College of Engineering/MURR)
Analysis of irradiation of LEU foil in Tajoura reactor (Libya)
Thermal Contact Resistance of LEU foil targets (AREVA-CERCA)
Specification of LEU foils fabricated using the cooling-roll casting method
developed by KAERI.
Basic principles of Current Good Manufacturing Practices (MURR).
Operational experience in gel moly production, for individual generators (India)
and centralised facility (Kazakhstan)
Issues related to gel moly process gadgets.
Calcining uranyl nitrate solutions (ANL)
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Visit to Pitesti TRIGA reactor and hot cells; New coordinated work plans and
action items adopted, country work plans reviewed/revised.
Requests for additional technical assistance from IAEA.
IAEA Mo-99 Activities
Recent and Future Activities
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Report on First Generation 1-D Thermal Contact Resistance Model of LEU-Foil
in Cylindrical Geometry (MURR)
Report on calculations of LEU foils using ORIGEN S from SCALE 4.4a (Chile)
Future
Fission Moly
• KAERI LEU foil supply/transport arrangements nearly concluded, shipments to
occur in coming month(s).
• Finalization and submittal of safety cases to regulatory authorities (Fall 2007).
• Final preparation of hot cells and waste process (Nov 2007).
• LEU-foil target irradiation (December 2007).
• Processing of irradiated targets (February 2008).
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Gel Moly
Improved gel moly filling (wet systems) in generators.
Documenting engineering features of the process gadgets/facility.
IAEA Mo-99 Activities
Homogenous Solution Reactors
• Consultancy Meeting on Assessment of Homogenous
Aqueous Solution Reactors for the Production of Mo-99
and other short-lived radioisotopes, Vienna, 20-22 June
2007.
• Info exchange, produce status report on “state of the art” of
the technology.
• Expected participants: Argentina, China (4 NPIC, 3 “costfree”), France, Netherlands (Tyco), Russia (3 including
Kurchatov and IPPE), U.S. (3 including ANL, BWXT)
IAEA Mo-99 Activities
Support
• U.S. Department of Energy (GTRI) – direct funding for
Mo-99 CRP including procurements, in-kind thru ANL.
• Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI) – project management
support.
• ANSTO, AREVA-CERCA, BWXT, MDS Nordion,
NECSA, NRG Petten, Tyco Health Care - in-kind
IAEA Mo-99 Activities
Further Info/Points of Contact
• www.iaea.org/OurWork/ST/NE/NEFW/nfcms_researchreact
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ors_Mo99.html
Natesan Ramamoorthy, Director, Division of Physical and
Chemical Sciences, Department of Nuclear Sciences and
Applications ([email protected])
Pablo Adelfang, Cross-Cutting Coordinator for Research
Reactors, Department of Nuclear Energy
([email protected])
Ira Goldman, Department of Nuclear Energy
([email protected])
Edward Bradley, Department of Nuclear Energy
([email protected])