Status of development on <sup>99</sup>Mo production technologies in JMTR

Abstract

The Japan Materials Testing Reactor (JMTR) is now under refurbishment, and the operation of the new JMTR will be started in FY 2011. The new JMTR has a plan to produce <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">99</sup> Mo, which is the parent nuclide of <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">99m</sup> Tc, and two <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">99</sup> Mo production technologies have been developed; the one is a solid irradiation method, and the other is a solution irradiation method. In the solid irradiation method, it was found that JMTR can provide about 20% of the <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">99</sup> Mo imported into Japan. In the solution irradiation method, the fundamental characteristics of the aqueous molybdate solutions selected as the irradiation target were cleared by the gamma-ray irradiation test. Aiming at the domestic production of <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">99</sup> Mo in Japan, the development of <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">99</sup> Mo production technologies in JMTR has been continued.