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2 Molybdenum-99/Technetium-99m Production and Use
Pages 16-30

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From page 16...
... 2. Between 95 and 98 percent of Mo-99 is currently being produced using highly enriched uranium (HEU)
From page 17...
... If desired, these other fission products can be recovered separately. The separated Mo-99, which is con   For example Russian English Venture in Isotope Supply Services (REVISS)
From page 18...
... Mo-99 PRODUCTION PROCESS There are two primary approaches for producing the medical isotope Mo-99, as described in Appendix D: fission of U-235, which produces Mo-99 and other medically important isotopes such as I-131 and Xe-133, and neutron capture by Mo-98 to produce Mo-99. For the reasons d ­ escribed in Appendix D, the committee dismissed neutron capture as a v­iable process for producing Mo-99 in the quantities needed to meet U.S.
From page 19...
... (b) Schematic diagram showing the internal structure of a typical technetium generator.
From page 20...
... Kidney Scan and Function Technetium Tc-99m Tetrofosmin Cardiac Perfusion Technetium Tc-99m Bicisate Brain Perfusion Technetium Tc-99m Red Blood Cell Blood Pool Imaging Technetium Tc-99m Sodium Pertechnetate Thyroid, Salivary Gland, Meckel's Scan Technetium Tc-99m Lidofenin Gall Bladder Function Technetium Tc-99m Mertiatide (MAG3) Kidney Scan and Function Technetium Tc-99m Oxidronate (HDP)
From page 21...
... (b) Images acquired from a cardiac perfusion SPECT study at stress and rest using a Tc-99m radiotracer.
From page 22...
... Additionally, Japan recently a ­ nnounced that it will produce Mo-99 using neutron activation to provide a stable domestic supply. This chapter focuses on the production of Mo-99 by neutron irradiation of targets containing highly enriched uranium-235 (HEU) in a nuclear reactor.
From page 23...
... Metallic targets are typically encapsulated in aluminum or stainless steel to protect the chemically reactive uranium metal or alloy and to contain the fission products produced during irradiation. This encapsulation is referred to as the target cladding. Sometimes an intermediate barrier material such as aluminum or nickel is used to separate the cladding from the U-235 target material.
From page 24...
... 10 1 Fission Yield (%) 0.1 0.01 0.001 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 Atomic Mass Number FIGURE 2.5  Fission yield for thermal neutron fission of U-235.
From page 25...
... Hot cell facilities can cost tens of millions of dollars to construct.14 The separation apparatus 11  Fission cross section is usually expressed in barns, where 1 barn = 1 × 10–24 cm2. This cross section is related to the probability that the nuclei will capture a thermal neutron and cause fission.
From page 26...
... It is currently used by only one major producer, MDS Nordion. In contrast to the alkaline dissolution process, only the uranium metal or ­ oxide is processed; the uranium target meat is physically separated or ized as "just a guess" pending completion of a conceptual design study for the facility (Ralph Butler, written communication with study director Kevin Crowley, November 24, 2008)
From page 27...
... (b) Worker operating hot cell manipulators at MDS Nordion.
From page 28...
... (b) View into a hot cell at MURR showing the new dissolver for the LEU metal foil targets.
From page 29...
... The adsorbed molybdenum is then removed from the separation medium using an appropriate solution and recovered as a highly pure Mo-99 product. Waste Management Waste management is similar for both the alkaline and acid dissolution processes.
From page 30...
... On the other hand, relative to the acid process, alkaline processing produces larger volumes18 of processing solutions, it can require more time than the acidic process for target dissolution, and Mo-99 yields can be lower because some molybdenum may be incorporated into the solid residue. Additionally, hydrogen gas is produced in the alkaline process, which requires additional safety procedures.


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