Conceptual design of direct Tc production facility at the high temperature engineering test reactor

Ho, H. Q.   ; 石田 大樹*; 濱本 真平  ; 石井 俊晃 ; 藤本 望*; 高木 直行*; 石塚 悦男   

Ho, H. Q.; Ishida, Hiroki*; Hamamoto, Shimpei; Ishii, Toshiaki; Fujimoto, Nozomu*; Takaki, Naoyuki*; Ishitsuka, Etsuo

This study proposed a conceptual design of direct Tc production facility from a natural MoO target at the high temperature engineering test reactor (HTTR). Tc is produced by a beta decay of Mo, which is formed via the Mo(n,)Mo reaction. Tc is then extracted from the MoO target by sublimation method to take advantage of the high temperature of the HTTR core. The foremost advantage of this concept is that the MoO target is heated up inside the reactor without pulling out for external electric heating, and as a result, Tc could be extracted directly during irradiation. With 1 kg of MoO target, the HTTR could produce about 6.810 MBq of Tc activity in comparison with 3.010 MBq of total Tc supplied in Japan in 2017.