Title: Feasibility study for production of ⁹⁹Mo and ^99mTc by the neutron activation of ⁹⁸Mo in the MNSR reactor

Authors: Kassem Khattab; George Saba

Addresses: Department of Nuclear Engineering, Atomic Energy Commission, P.O. Box, 6091, Damascus, Syria ' Department of Nuclear Engineering, Atomic Energy Commission, P.O. Box, 6091, Damascus, Syria

Abstract: The calculated weekly specific activities of ⁹⁹Mo and ^99mTc produced from the irradiation of the MoO₃ targets in the Miniature Neutron Source Reactor (MNSR) are presented in this paper. The productions of the ⁹⁹Mo and ^99mTc were modelled and calculated through a set of differential equations using the Mathcad program. The resonance self-shielding factor (G_res) was calculated using the MATSSF and MCNP4C codes. The effects of the physical parameters such as the neutron flux and irradiation time on the weekly specific activities of ⁹⁹Mo and ^99mTc have been analysed. It was found that the optimum irradiation scheme was achieved when the MNSR was operated for an extended period of 5 hours a day for 5 days a week at the neutron flux of 7.5×10¹¹ n.cm⁻².s⁻¹. The weekly specific activities for the ⁹⁹Mo and ^99mTc which can be produced in the MNSR, filling each of the five inner irradiation sites with 20 g of the MoO₃ targets and using the regular natural convection method to cool the reactor, were 7.20 and 5.05 mCi.g⁻¹, respectively.

Keywords: Mo production; neutron flux; irradiation time; specific activity; MNSR; miniature neutron source reactor.

DOI: 10.1504/IJNEST.2019.099700

International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, 2019 Vol.13 No.1, pp.27 - 37

Received: 10 Jan 2018
Accepted: 28 Jan 2019
Published online: 20 May 2019 *

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