Radioisotope Production Facility

Last updated
Radioisotopes Production Facility
Egypt relief location map.jpg
Red pog.svg
Location of Radioisotopes Production Facility
Radioisotope Production Facility
OperatedNovember 2011 (2011-11) [1]
Location Nuclear Research Center, Inshas, Egypt [2]
Coordinates 30°17′33.1″N31°24′35.6″E / 30.292528°N 31.409889°E / 30.292528; 31.409889 Coordinates: 30°17′33.1″N31°24′35.6″E / 30.292528°N 31.409889°E / 30.292528; 31.409889
Products 51Cr, 125I, 131I, 192Ir, 99Mo and Technetium-99m generators loading [2] [3]
Area1,200 m2 (13,000 sq ft) [4]
Owner(s) Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority [2]

Radioisotopes Production Facility (RPF), is a facility for the production of radioisotopes from irradiation of Low enriched uranium (LEU) in the Egyptian Second Research Reactor (ETRR-2) Complex. The RPF was supplied by the Argentine company Investigacion Aplicada (INVAP) [5] and was commissioned during October and November 2011. [1] The produced radioisotopes are used in medicine, industry and research activities [4] for domestic market. [6]

Contents

The RPF is owned and operated by the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) [7] at the Nuclear Research Center in Inshas, 60 kilometers northeast of Cairo. [8] [9]

History

Radioisotopes Production Facility (RPF) was initially highlighted during the 2004/2005 investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as Egypt declared the new facility which was under construction to the agency. Egypt should have reported the decision to construct the new facility no later than 1997 and it was considered failure to report. [10] Egypt took a corrective actions and provided a modified design information for the RPF. [11]

RPF was officially inaugurated by the former Prime Minister, Ibrahim Mahlab on 15 August 2015 [12] and the ceremony was attended by Conrado Assenza, the Associate Ambassador of Argentina in Egypt; Mohamed Shaker, the Minister of Electricity and Energy of Egypt; Sherif Hamad, the Minister of Scientific Research of Egypt; Atef Abdel Fattah, the President of the Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) and Yasser Tawfik, the project director. [9]

Overview

Radioisotopes Production Facility (RPF) is located at the Nuclear Research Center in Inshas, near ETRR-2 research reactor and Fuel Manufacturing Pilot Plant (FMPP) as the three facilities share the same auxiliary services with high degree of integration between ETRR-2 and RPF to ensure safe transfer of the irradiated targets for radioisotope production. [13]

RPF is a Low enriched uranium (LEU) based facility [14] using 19.75% enriched uranium, [15] as the targets prepared at RPF laboratory then manually transferred to the ETRR2 reactor, where the targets are loaded into the irradiation device. The device is installed in the irradiation position in grid or core from the pool head. The molybdenum targets are irradiated in the core position while non-molybdenum targets, placed in aluminium cans to be irradiated in the grid around the core. [13]

The produced high-level waste from the RPF, stored near the ETRR-2 reactor waiting for final disposal in deep geological formations.[ citation needed ]

Layout

RPF divided into free, supervised and controlled areas. [3] The free area where no radioactive material is handled, contain offices, dressing rooms and common services. The supervised area with minimum radioactivity level, contain quality control laboratories and cell-front operation areas. The controlled area with highest radioactivity, consist of hot cells, cell ventilation filters and management areas of gas, liquid, and solid. [13]

RPF provided with 12 hot cells [13] as the following: [3]

Products

Radioisotopes Production Facility is capable of producing the following: [3]

The obtained Molybdenum-99, Iodine 125, Iridium 192 and Iodine 131 batches have outperformed the contracted values with molybdenum batches exceeded contractual values by 5 to 10% and the quality of the product has been higher than the technical requirements and at least equal to the product obtained by CNEA in Argentina. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

Enriched uranium is a type of uranium in which the percent composition of uranium-235 has been increased through the process of isotope separation. Naturally occurring uranium is composed of three major isotopes: uranium-238, uranium-235, and uranium-234. 235U is the only nuclide existing in nature that is fissile with thermal neutrons.

A synthetic radioisotope is a radionuclide that is not found in nature: no natural process or mechanism exists which produces it, or it is so unstable that it decays away in a very short period of time. Examples include technetium-95 and promethium-146. Many of these are found in, and harvested from, spent nuclear fuel assemblies. Some must be manufactured in particle accelerators.

The synthesis of precious metals involves the use of either nuclear reactors or particle accelerators to produce these elements.

Technetium-99m generator

A technetium-99m generator, or colloquially a technetium cow or moly cow, is a device used to extract the metastable isotope 99mTc of technetium from a decaying sample of molybdenum-99. 99Mo has a half-life of 66 hours and can be easily transported over long distances to hospitals where its decay product technetium-99m is extracted and used for a variety of nuclear medicine diagnostic procedures, where its short half-life is very useful.

Petten nuclear reactor

The Petten High Flux Reactor (HFR), is a nuclear research reactor located in Petten, The Netherlands. The HFR is on the premises of the Petten research centre and it is a high flux reactor. It is owned by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) and managed by the Nuclear Research and Consultancy Group (NRG).

Molybdenum (42Mo) has 33 known isotopes, ranging in atomic mass from 83 to 115, as well as four metastable nuclear isomers. Seven isotopes occur naturally, with atomic masses of 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, and 100. All unstable isotopes of molybdenum decay into isotopes of zirconium, niobium, technetium, and ruthenium.

Aqueous homogeneous reactor

Aqueous homogeneous reactors (AHR) are a type of nuclear reactor in which soluble nuclear salts are dissolved in water. The fuel is mixed with the coolant and the moderator, thus the name "homogeneous" The water can be either heavy water or ordinary (light) water, both of which need to be very pure.

Research reactor

Research reactors are nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. They are also called non-power reactors, in contrast to power reactors that are used for electricity production, heat generation, or maritime propulsion.

The National Research Universal (NRU) reactor was a 135 MW nuclear research reactor built in the Chalk River Laboratories, Ontario, one of Canada’s national science facilities. It was a multipurpose science facility that served three main roles. It generated radionuclides used to treat or diagnose over 20 million people in 80 countries every year. It was the neutron source for the NRC Canadian Neutron Beam Centre: a materials research centre that grew from the Nobel Prize-winning work of Bertram Brockhouse. It was the test bed for Atomic Energy of Canada Limited to develop fuels and materials for the CANDU reactor. At the time of its retirement on March 31, 2018, it was the world's oldest operating nuclear reactor.

Radionuclides which emit gamma radiation are valuable in a range of different industrial, scientific and medical technologies. This article lists some common gamma-emitting radionuclides of technological importance, and their properties.

Iodine-125 (125I) is a radioisotope of iodine which has uses in biological assays, nuclear medicine imaging and in radiation therapy as brachytherapy to treat a number of conditions, including prostate cancer, uveal melanomas, and brain tumors. It is the second longest-lived radioisotope of iodine, after iodine-129.

McMaster Nuclear Reactor

The McMaster Nuclear Reactor (MNR) is a 5 MWth open pool reactor located on the campus of McMaster University, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

SAFARI-1

SAFARI-1 is a 20 MW light water-cooled, beryllium reflected, pool-type research reactor, initially used for high level nuclear physics research programmes and was commissioned in 1965.

Technetium-99m Metastable nuclear isomer of technetium-99

Technetium-99m (99mTc) is a metastable nuclear isomer of technetium-99, symbolized as 99mTc, that is used in tens of millions of medical diagnostic procedures annually, making it the most commonly used medical radioisotope in the world.

President Adly Mansour announced on 7 November 2013 that Egypt was restarting its nuclear power program in El Dabaa; a deal was reached with the residents in which it was agreed that a residential area will also be built. The Egyptian minister of electricity, Ahmed Emam, has called the project "necessary" because of a small amount of renewable energy sources and not enough fuel.

Phoenix, formerly known as Phoenix Nuclear Labs, is a company specializing in neutron generator technology located in Monona, Wisconsin. Founded in 2005, the company develops nuclear and particle accelerator technologies for application in medicine, defense and energy. Phoenix has held contracts with the U.S. Army, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Air Force. Phoenix developed a proprietary gas target neutron generator technology and has designed and built a number of particle accelerator-related technologies.

ETRR-1 or ET-RR-1, is the first nuclear reactor in Egypt supplied by the USSR in 1958. The reactor is owned and operated by Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (AEA) at the Nuclear Research Center in Inshas, 40–60 kilometres (25–37 mi) northeast of Cairo.

ETRR-2 Nuclear research reactor in Egypt

ETRR-2 or ET-RR-2, or is the second nuclear reactor in Egypt supplied by the Argentine company Investigacion Aplicada (INVAP) in 1992. The reactor is owned and operated by Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA) at the Nuclear Research Center in Inshas, 60 kilometres (37 mi) northeast of Cairo.

SHINE Medical Technologies

SHINE Medical Technologies, is a private corporation based in Janesville, Wisconsin US which is building a facility to produce radioactive isotopes for medical applications. SHINE is an acronym for Subcritical Hybrid Intense Neutron Emitter.

Fuel Manufacturing Pilot Plant

The Fuel Manufacturing Pilot Plant (FMPP), also known as Fuel Element Fabrication Plant, is a nuclear fuel fabrication facility supplied by the Argentine company INVAP in 1998. The FMPP is considered a Material Testing Reactor (MTR)-type fuel element facility, that produces the fuel elements required for the research reactor ETRR-2.

References

  1. 1 2 "Developing Techniques for Small- Scale, Indigenous Production of MO-99 Using Low-Enriched Uranium (LEU) or Neutron Activation" (PDF). pub.iaea.org. IAEA . Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 "Radioisotope production plants". INVAP . Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Abdel-Aziz, Lamia; Lashin, Reda; Mostafa, Wafaa (2012). "Licensing of digital Instrumentation & Control in Radioisotopes Production Facility" (PDF). Arab Journal of Nuclear Science and Applications. 45 (4): 285–286. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Salvatore, Marcelo; Amaya, Daniel; Alaniz, Nike; Vindrola, Carlos; Gerbino, Juan (December 2011). "Background and Projects on LEU based production technologies of Molybdenum 99 within INVAP" (PDF). Mo-99 Technology Development. Argonne National Laboratory. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  5. ↑ "Radioisotopes Production Facility | Facilities | NTI". Nuclear Threat Initiative . James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies . Retrieved 27 April 2016.
  6. ↑ "Radioisotopes in Medicine". World Nuclear Association . April 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  7. ↑ "Radioisotopes production plants". INVAP . Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  8. ↑ "Nuclear Research Center (NRC)". Federation of American Scientists. Webmaster. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  9. 1 2 "The Radioisotopes Production Facility was inaugurated in Egypt". INVAP . Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  10. ↑ "Implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement in the Arab Republic of Egypt" (PDF). globalsecurity.org. International Atomic Energy Agency. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  11. ↑ Fitzpatrick, Mark (July 2011). "Nuclear capabilities in the Middle East" (PDF). nonproliferation.eu. EU Non-Proliferation Consortium. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  12. ↑ Mukhtar, Hend (29 August 2015). "Egypt launches radioactive isotopes production project". The Cairo Post . Youm7 . Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Molli, F.; Maneiro, C.; Merino, J.; Boock, D.; Brandt, E.; Alaniz, A. "Use Of The ETRR-2 Reactor For The Production Of Radioisotopes In Egypt" (PDF). INVAP . 6th International Symposium on Material Testing Reactors. Retrieved 11 May 2016.
  14. ↑ Committee on Medical Isotope Production Without Highly Enriched Uranium; Nuclear and Radiation Studies Board; Division on Earth and Life Studies; National Research Council (2009). Medical Isotope Production Without Highly Enriched Uranium. Washington, D.C.: National Academies Press. p. 110. ISBN   9780309141093 . Retrieved 4 May 2016.
  15. ↑ "WOSMIP IV—Workshop on Signatures of Medical and Industrial Isotope Production" (PDF). Pacific Northwest National Laboratory . United States Department of Energy. July 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Salvatore, Marcelo; Amaya, C. Daniel; Alaniz, Nique; Vindrola, Carlos; José, Juan; Gerbino, Gil (December 2011). "Molybdenum-99 Topical Meeting" (PDF). Santa Fe, New Mexico: Argonne National Laboratory. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.