Assessment of impurity production upon 14 MeV fusion neutron irradiation of both natural and isotopically enriched $$^{100}$$Mo samples

Abstract

Abstract$$^{99m}$$ 99 m Tc, a decay product of $$^{99}$$ 99 Mo, is the most widely used radionuclide in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Currently, $$^{99}$$ 99 Mo is mainly produced by nuclear reactors as isotope separation from fission products by $$^{235}$$ 235 U-enriched (HEU or LEU) uranium targets. Due to problems related to the ageing of nuclear fission reactors, new techniques are presently taken into consideration. In this paper, the $$^{99}$$ 99 Mo production based on the $$^{100}$$ 100 Mo(n,2n)$$^{99}$$ 99 Mo reaction route, using 14 MeV fusion neutrons, is investigated. To this end, two samples were tested, manufactured as natural molybdenum metallic powder encapsulated in a container and $$^{100}$$ 100 Mo-enriched molybdenum metallic pellet, respectively. The main goal of the experimental investigation was to determine the isotope inventory, as well as the amount of impurities generated in the neutron-irradiated samples. The experimental results were compared to numerical calculations obtained by means of MCNP and FISPACT-II codes. A prediction of the expected activity of $$^{99}$$ 99 Mo under the aforementioned irradiation conditions is also provided for the future high-brilliance 14 MeV neutron source named SORGENTINA-RF.