Neutronics analysis of a subcritical blanket system driven by a gas dynamic trap-based fusion neutron source for ^(99)Mo production  

作　　者：Hou-Hua Xiong Qiu-Sun Zeng Yun-Cheng Han Lei Ren Isaac Kwasi Baidoo Ni Chen Zheng-Kui Zeng Xiao-Yu Wang 

机构地区：[1]School of Nuclear Technology and Chemistry&Biology and Hubei Key Laboratory of Radiation Chemistry and Functional Materials,Hubei University of Science and Technology,Xianning 437100,China [2]Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology,Hefei Institutes of Physical Science,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Hefei 230031,China [3]Nuclear Reactors Research Centre,National Nuclear Research Institute,Ghana Atomic Energy Commission,Box LG 80,Legon-Accra,Ghana [4]Teaching and Research Section of Nuclear Medicine,School of Basic Medical Sciences,Hefei Institutes of Physical Science,Anhui Medical University,Hefei 230031,China

出　　处：《Nuclear Science and Techniques》2023年第4期14-25,共12页核技术（英文）

基　　金：supported by Anhui Provincial Key R&D Program (202104g0102007);Hefei Municipal Natural Science Foundation (2022011);Collaborative Innovation Program of Hefei Science Center;Chinese Academy of Sciences(2022HSC CIP024);International Partnership Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (116134KYSB20200001)。

摘　　要：Gamma-emitting radionuclide ^(99m)Tc is globally used for the diagnosis of various pathological conditions owing to its ideal single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) characteristics.However,the short half-life of ^(99m)Tc (T_(1/2)=6 h)makes it difficult to store or transport.Thus,the production of ^(99m)Tc is tied to its parent radionuclide ^(99)Mo (T_(1/2)=66 h).The major production paths are based on accelerators and research reactors.The reactor process presents the potential for nuclear proliferation owing to its use of highly enriched uranium (HEU).Accelerator-based methods tend to use deuterium–tritium(D–T) neutron sources but are hindered by the high cost of tritium and its challenging operation.In this study,a new ^(99)Mo production design was developed based on a deuterium–deuterium (D–D) gas dynamic trap fusion neutron source (GDT-FNS) and a subcritical blanket system (SBS) assembly with a low-enriched uranium (LEU) solution.GDT-FNS can provide a relatively high-neutron intensity,which is one of the advantages of ^(99)Mo production.We provide a Monte Carlo-based neutronics analysis covering the calculation of the subcritical multiplication factor (k_(s)) of the SBS,optimization design for the reflector,shielding layer,and ^(99)Mo production capacity.Other calculations,including the neutron flux and nuclear heating distributions,are also provided for an overall evaluation of the production system.The results demonstrated that the SBS meets the nuclear critical safety design requirement (k_(s)<0.97) and maintained a high ^(99)Mo production capacity.The proposed system can generate approximately 157 Ci ^(99)Mo for a stable 24 h operation with a neutron intensity of 1×10^(14) n/s,which can meet 50%of China’s demand in 2025.

关 键 词：Gas dynamic trap Fusion neutron source Molybdenum-99 Low-enriched uranium Subcritical blanket system 

分 类 号：O571.5[理学—粒子物理与原子核物理]