Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
1999 International RERTR Meeting

MODIFICATION OF BASE-SIDE 99MO PRODUCTION PROCESSES
FOR LEU METAL-FOIL TARGETS

G. F. Vandegrift, R. A. Leonard, S. Aase, J. Sedlet, Y. Koma,
C. Conner, C. R. Clark, and M. K. Meyer
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne, Illinois, and Idaho Falls, Idaho, U.S.A.

ABSTRACT

Argonne National Laboratory is cooperating with the National Atomic Energy Commission of the Argentine Republic (CNEA) to convert their ⁹⁹Mo production process, which uses high enriched uranium (HEU), to low-enriched uranium (LEU).  The program is multifaceted; however, discussed in this paper are (1) results of laboratory experiments to develop means for substituting LEU metal-foil targets into the current process and (2) preparation of uranium-alloy or uranium-metal/aluminum-dispersion targets.  Although ⁹⁹Mo production is a multi-step process, the first two steps (target dissolution and primary molybdenum recovery) are by far the most important in the conversion.  Commonly, once molybdenum is separated from the bulk of the uranium, the remainder of the process need not be modified.  Our results show that, up to this point in our study, conversion of the CNEA process to LEU appears viable.

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