Medical Isotope Production in Liquid-Fluoride Reactors

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Medical Isotope Production in Liquid-FluorideReactors

Kirk SorensenFlibe Energy

Huntsville, Alabamakirk.sorensen@flibe-energy.com

256 679 9985

Flibe Energy was formed in order to develop liquid-fluoridereactor technology and to supply the world with affordable and

sustainable energy, water and fuel.

Liquid-Fluoride Reactor ConceptReactor Containment Boundary

Reactorcore

DrainTank

Freeze valveP

rimary

HX

LiF-BeF2-UF4

Gas

Heater

LiF-BeF2

Generator

TurbineC

ompressor

Gas

Cooler

Coolantinlet

Coolantoutlet

Gas Heater High-TempRecuperator

Low-TempRecuperator

Gas Cooler

TurbineElectricalGenerator Recompressor Main Compressor

Cooling Water

WarmSaturated

Air

Cool DryAir

Dra

inTa

nk

WaterCoolantTorus

WaterCoolantTorus

Short-Term Gas Holdup

SurgeAccum

Long-Term Gas Holdup

SurgeAccum

CryogenicStorage

Bi(Th) Bi(Pa,U)

Decay

Fluor

DecayTankIsotopicQuench

metallic Th feed

FuelFluorinator

H2

Reduction

Bi(Li)Bi(Th,FP)

Was

teTa

nk

metallic HDLi feed

Scrub

KOH

ElectroCell

HF

H2

F2

Blanket Salt (7LiF-ThF4-BeF2)

Coolant salt (7LiF-BeF2)

Decay Salt (7LiF-BeF2-(Th,Pa)F4)Waste Salt (LiF-CaF2-(FP)F3)

Fresh Offgas

1-day Offgas

3-day Offgas

90-day Offgas

Helium

UF6-F2

F2

HF-H2

H2

Bismuth

200-bar CO2

77-bar CO2

Water

Fuel Salt (7LiF-BeF2-UF4)

The Molten-Salt Reactor Experimentwas an experimental reactor systemthat demonstrated key technologies.

Lanthanide Fission Products

Alkali- and Alkaline-Earth Fission Product Fluorides

c

ORNL-TM-3884

THE MIGRATION OF A CLASS OF FISSION PRODUCTS (NOBLE METALS) IN THE MOLTEN-SALT REACTOR EXPERIMENT

R. J. Ked1

Addressing Molten Salt Contamination

Salt Purification by NF3 FluorinationNitrogen trifluoride (NF3) could be used to purify salts from any oxideor sulfide contamination as well as to remove noble metals. NF3 ismuch less aggressive towards container materials.

3BeO + 2NF3 → 3BeF2 + N2 + 1.5O2

3Li2O + 2NF3 → 6LiF + N2 + 1.5O2

Mo + 2NF3 → MoF6 + N2

Tc + 2NF3 → TcF6 + N2

Molybdenum-99 is a fairly common fission product

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Krypton

Lanthanides

Xenon

Strontium-90

Molybdenum-99

Promethium-147

About 5% of the fission reactions in uranium-233 generate molybdenum-99.

Vastly Simplified 99Mo Production in LFTR

Fluoride salts are safe and versatileChemicallystable in air

and water

Unpressurizedliquid with

1000◦C rangeof temperature

Large power reactors make vast amounts of Mo-99

...which unfortunatelyis utterly inaccessible...

due to high pressureoperation and the use ofsolid nuclear fuel.

Unique Technology Intersection

Power-generatingreactors

LWR, HWR, HTGR,LMFBR, FHR,

GFR

Medical-isotope-generating reactors

NRU, HFR, OPAL,BR2, Safari, TRIGA,

SHINE, TRIUMF

LFTR

North American Competition for 99Mo Production

I 235U (n, f ) 99Mo in solid uranium targets (LEU or HEU)I NorthWest Medical Isotopes, Corvallis, OregonI Coqui Pharmaceuticals, Coral Gables, FloridaI Eden Radioisotopes, Albuquerque, New MexicoI General Atomics, San Diego, California

I 98Mo (n, γ) 99Mo in solid molybdenum targetsI NorthStar Medical Isotopes, Madison, WisconsinI GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy, Wilmington, North Carolina

I 3H (d ,n) 4He in subcritical aqueous uranium solutionI SHINE Medical Technologies, Monona, Wisconsin

I 100Mo (e− → γ,n) 99Mo in solid molybdenum targetI NorthStar Medical Isotopes, Madison, Wisconsin

I 100Mo (p,2n) 99mTc in solid molybdenum targetI TRIUMF, Vancouver, British Columbia

Small MSR would produce globally-significant 99Mo

100 MWt Facility for Assured Power Generation

2015 TECHNICAL REPORT

Electric Power Research Institute 3420 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304-1338 • PO Box 10412, Palo Alto, California 94303-0813 USA

800.313.3774 • 650.855.2121 • askepri@epri.com • www.epri.com

Program on Technology Innovation: Technology Assessment of a Molten Salt Reactor Design The Liquid-Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR)

My Own Little Medical Radioisotope Experience

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