Thermoseparation of neutron-irradiated tungsten from Re and Os

Saed Mirzadeh, Miting Du, Arnold Beets, F. F. Knapp

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

10 Scopus citations

Abstract

Heterogeneous oxidation has been utilized for one-step conversion of metallic W to WO3 at approximately 750 °C in a stream of air, with simultaneous separation of W from Re and Os impurities which are coproduced during the long neutron irradiation of the W target (approximately 50 days). The freshly produced WO3 is readily soluble in a base for use in a 188W/188Re biomedical generator. The metallic tungsten target, in the form of small pellets (4×3 mm diameter×height), was prepared by cold pressing W powder at approximately 3 tons/cm2. Sintering (vacuum annealing) the pellets at 1200-1400 °C, under 1-10 μTorr pressure provided good mechanical strength. Analysis of the black residue, which is typically encountered in the dissolution of neutron-irradiated WO3 targets, indicated that 186W and 187Re were the main constituents. Further, the specific activity of insoluble 188W in the residue was approximately 200 times smaller than that of soluble 188W.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3169-3172
Number of pages4
JournalIndustrial and Engineering Chemistry Research
Volume39
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2000

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