Overcoming challenges to support us resumption of high specific activity cobalt-60

R. H. Howard; M. A. Reichenberger; J. M. Urban-Klaehn; J. L. Peterson-Droogh; J. V. Brookman; B. Gross; C. Tyler; J. Navarro; M. Lillo; A. Zillmer

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109494

Overcoming challenges to support us resumption of high specific activity cobalt-60

R. H. Howard, M. A. Reichenberger, J. M. Urban-Klaehn, J. L. Peterson-Droogh, J. V. Brookman, B. Gross, C. Tyler, J. Navarro, M. Lillo, A. Zillmer

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Domestic production of high specific activity ⁶⁰Co was halted after a target rupture in 2012 at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). The Isotope Program (IP) within the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science tasked a multilaboratory team of researchers and managers from Oak Ridge and Idaho National Laboratories with the redesign the radioisotope capsule. The objective of this effort was to create a more robust and reliable design, compared to the pre-2012 target. The team successfully completed this task to produce the DOE-IP cobalt (Co) production capsule design. Furthermore, 66 capsules were successfully fabricated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and delivered to Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for irradiation in the ATR between January 2014 and October 2016. This paper describes the efforts of the team to prepare and disposition the two initial DOE-IP Co production capsules that were processed in March 2020. These efforts include performing accurate production predictions, experimentally validating predictions with assay measurements, shipping with the Orano-furnished Battelle Energy Alliance Research Reactor shipping package, and disassembling capsules at the isotope vendor site.

Original language	English
Article number	109494
Journal	Applied Radiation and Isotopes
Volume	169
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109494
State	Published - Mar 2021

Funding

This work was funded by the US Department of Energy Isotope Program and was performed under US Department of Energy Contract Number DE-AC05-00OR22725 (executed by ORNL) and DE-AC07-05ID14517 (executed by INL). The authors appreciate this sponsorship and opportunity to participate in such interesting and vital research. This work was funded by the US Department of Energy Isotope Program and was performed under US Department of Energy Contract Number DE-AC05-00OR22725 (executed by ORNL) and DE-AC07-05ID14517 (executed by INL). The authors appreciate this sponsorship and opportunity to participate in such interesting and vital research. The authors also wish to thank Carla C. Dwight, Emily Swain, and Dr. David T. Miller for their work improving the 60Co assay system. A special thanks is given to the technicians at the Radiation Measurements Laboratory, Billy Walker and Larry Smith, who performed measurements in support of the assay in January 2020, and to Mark Hill and the ATR experiment engineering team. We also appreciate the hospitality and candor offered by the entire staff at International Isotopes, Inc; especially John Miller, Shawn Anderson, Tony Jones, and Steve Laflin. Lastly, immense gratitude is owed to the site isotope program managers Dr. Steven Johnson (INL) and Dr. Kevin Hart (ORNL); Mr. Mitch Ferren and Mr. Kevin Felker at the National Isotope Development Center; and Dr. Marc Garland and Dr. Jon Neuhoff at the DOE-IP. We thank you for your support and trust in completing this nationally vital work.

Funders	Funder number
DOE-IP
US Department of Energy
U.S. Department of Energy	DE-AC05-00OR22725
Oak Ridge National Laboratory	DE-AC07-05ID14517
Idaho National Laboratory

Keywords

Advanced test reactor
HSA Co-60
Reactor produced radioisotopes
Target design

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10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109494

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title = "Overcoming challenges to support us resumption of high specific activity cobalt-60",

abstract = "Domestic production of high specific activity 60Co was halted after a target rupture in 2012 at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR). The Isotope Program (IP) within the US Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science tasked a multilaboratory team of researchers and managers from Oak Ridge and Idaho National Laboratories with the redesign the radioisotope capsule. The objective of this effort was to create a more robust and reliable design, compared to the pre-2012 target. The team successfully completed this task to produce the DOE-IP cobalt (Co) production capsule design. Furthermore, 66 capsules were successfully fabricated by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and delivered to Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for irradiation in the ATR between January 2014 and October 2016. This paper describes the efforts of the team to prepare and disposition the two initial DOE-IP Co production capsules that were processed in March 2020. These efforts include performing accurate production predictions, experimentally validating predictions with assay measurements, shipping with the Orano-furnished Battelle Energy Alliance Research Reactor shipping package, and disassembling capsules at the isotope vendor site.",

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Overcoming challenges to support us resumption of high specific activity cobalt-60

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