Page 277 - 00. Complete Version - Progress Report IPEN 2014-2016

Nuclear Reactors and Fuel Cycle | Progress Report 277

BEFORE

AFTER

Figure 31. Stainless steel pipe of the Reactor Primary Cooling Circuit (before and after partial substitution)

Development of irradiation targets for of the objectives to make the country inde-
99mo production by nuclear fission pendent in the production of radioactive iso-

topes for medicine. The success of RMB Proj-
The use of radioisotopes in medicine is cer- ect will require the manufacturing technology
tainly one of the most important social uses of irradiation targets for the 99Mo production
of nuclear energy. The 99mTc, generated from from nuclear fission. As IPEN in its history has
the 99Mo nuclear decay, is the most suitable been developing fuel for research reactors,
radionuclide for single photon emission com- and the manufacture of irradiation targets is
puted tomography imaging technique. The based on this type of technology, IPEN began
99mTc is supplied as 99Mo/99mTc generators, developing the technology to fabricate these
which provide 99mTc as the 99Mo decays. In targets. The manufacturing processes of two
Brazil, the generators have been imported. Cur- types of targets using low enriched uranium
rently, the world’s 99Mo supplying depends (LEU) are being studied. The first one is based
on the operation of research reactors which on UAlx-Al dispersion targets, which is being
are aged around 40 years and, therefore, are used commercially in Argentina and Australia.
not capable of reliable operation. This situa- The second one is based on thin foils of metal-
tion makes the 99Mo production chain partic- lic uranium, which was developed by Indone-
ularly vulnerable. Recent crises in the supply sia with US support.
of 99Mo has profoundly affected the distribu-
tion of 99Mo/99mTc generators in Brazil and The UAlx-Al dispersion targets are fabricated
encouraged the starting of the RMB - Brazil- according to the picture-frame technique, as
ian Multipurpose Reactor, which has as one shown in Figure 1. The roll billet consists of a