Publicatie Laka-bibliotheek:
Phase-out of HEU use for 99Mo production in Belgium and Netherlands

AuteurA.Fay, University of Texas
1-01-8-51-29.pdf
Datummei 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



	
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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