Abstracts and Available Papers Presented at the
2000 International RERTR Meeting

KEY CONSIDERATIONS IN THE CONVERSION TO LEU OF A Mo-99
COMMERCIALLY PRODUCING REACTOR:
SAFARI-1 OF SOUTH AFRICA

W.E. Stumpf, A.P. Vermaak, G. Ball
NECSA, PO Box 582, Pretoria, South Africa

ABSTRACT

Apart from the technological demands and considerations associated with the conversion of a Mo-99 commercially producing reactor to LEU, a number of commercial challenges also need to be addressed. This is particularly the case when the reactor is primarily used as a source for the production, on an uninterrupted basis, of significant quantities of Mo-99 to satisfy long term commitments to a range of global customers. This paper highlights key business considerations which are applicable in the conversion process of firstly, reactor fuel to LEU and secondly target plates for Mo-99, also to LEU, using the SAFARI-1 reactor in South Africa as a typical example of such a commercially utilized reactor.

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