Publicatie Laka-bibliotheek:
Phase-out of HEU use for 99Mo production in Belgium and Netherlands (2011)
| Auteur | A.Fay, University of Texas |
 |
1-01-8-51-29.pdf |
| Datum | mei 2011 |
| Classificatie | 1.01.8.51/29 (OLP - HFR PETTEN) |
| Voorkant | 
|
Uit de publicatie:
Phase-out of HEU Use for 99Mo Production
in Belgium and Netherlands
Alexander Fay
9 May 2011
The University of Texas at Austin
Introduction
The recent shutdowns of the NRU reactor in Canada and the HFR in
99
Petten, Netherlands and the subsequent Mo shortages incurred by downtime
at two of the world’s primary 99 Mo production facilities have brought attention
to the state of the global 99 Mo infrastructure. Efforts have been undertaken to
secure the 99 Mo supply and stabilize the 99 Mo economy, and a number of
producers have set sights on increasing their production in a market historically
dominated by a small number of companies. In addition to this, increased
attention has been drawn to the use of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in the
99
Mo supply chain. In light of the perceived dangers of civilian HEU use, a
number of organizations, including the U.S. National Nuclear Security
Administration (NNSA), the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Nuclear Energy
Agency (OECD NEA), the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), and the
Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), among others, have dedicated technical,
economic, and academic resources to assess the role of HEU in the 99 Mo supply
chain and work towards converting production to use low enriched uranium
(LEU).
This paper provides new information about the technical capabilities of
the producers and their efforts to convert to LEU-based production. It has been
1
found, and will be subsequently discussed in greater detail, that Covidien and
the National Institute for Radioelements (IRE) are receiving support from the
NNSA and are working in the direction of conversion. Due to the processing
capabilities at IRE, conversion co