Technology development for manufacturing UAlx-Al dispersion targets for nationalization of the 99Mo production by nuclear fission

• Grant number: 11/13849-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2011
• End date: September 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Nuclear Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Michelangelo Durazzo
• Grantee: Michelangelo Durazzo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The use of radioisotopes in medicine is certainly one of the most important social uses of nuclear energy. The 99mTc, generated from the 99Mo nuclear decay, is the most suitable radionuclide for single photon emission computed tomography imaging technique due to its very characteristic and easy detection, combined with its half-life of 6 hours, which is very appropriate for diagnostic tests. The 99Mo, with half-life of 66 hours, is obtained by fission of 235U, being separated chemically from the remaining fission products. The 99mTc is the decay product of 99Mo and is supplied as 99Mo/99mTc generators, which provide 99mTc as the 99Mo decays. The use of 99mTc covers 80% of all nuclear imaging diagnostic procedures, which represents approximately 30 million procedures annually in the world. This percentage should continue to grow, both because the convenience of its availability via generators 99Mo/99mTc but also because the attractive effective cost for the generator. In Brazil, the current demand is 320 99Mo/99mTc generators per week, which represents 4% of world demand. The generators have been imported from Nordion of Canada, at a cost of US$ 20 million per year. Currently, the world's 99Mo supplying depends on the operation of only five research reactors, which are aged around 40 years and, therefore, are not capable of reliable operation. Recently, the Canadian NRU reactor shutdown (National Research Universal Reactor) triggered a global shortage of medical radioisotopes, a situation particularly problematic in the medical point of view. This recent crisis in the supply of 99Mo has profoundly affected the distribution of 99Mo/99mTc generators in Brazil and encouraged the starting of the RMB - Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor project, which occurred on September 3, 2008, and was recently approved by the Brazilian government with a budget of R$ 850 million. The Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor aims to make the country independent in the production of radioactive isotopes for medicine. The reactor has 30 megawatts of power, which is six times greater than the power of the main research reactor producer of radioisotopes in operation in Brazil, the IEA-R1 reactor of IPEN. The success of RMB Project will require the development of manufacturing technology of irradiation targets for the 99Mo production from nuclear fission. As IPEN in its history, has been developing dispersion-based fuels, the efforts will be concentrate in using this technology. This research project aim at developing irradiation targets with base in the UAlx-Al dispersion by using low-enriched uranium (LEU), which is being used commercially by Argentina and Australia. This is the goal of this project. According to the RMB project schedule, this technology must be available to the country by the year 2015. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

DURAZZO, MICHELANGELO; CONTURBIA, GIOVANNI L. C. R.; DE CARVALHO, ELITA F. URANO. Increasing productivity in the manufacture of UAl2-Al dispersion-plate targets for Mo-99 production. PROGRESS IN NUCLEAR ENERGY, v. 140, OCT 2021. (18/18228-1, 11/13849-9)

CONTURBIA, G. L. C. R.; DURAZZO, M.; URANO DE CARVALHO, E. F.; RIELLA, H. G.. Phase quantification in UAlx-Al dispersion targets for Mo-99 production. JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR MATERIALS, v. 509, p. 465-477, OCT 2018. (11/13849-9)