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Fostering New Sources of Mo-99 for International Nuclear Medicine Needs IAEA CRP on Mo-99 Production Using LEU or Neutron Activation Ira N. Goldman, Natesan Ramamoorthy , Pablo Adelfang International Atomic Energy Agency 2008 RERTR International Meeting October 5 - 9, 2008
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Fostering New Sources of Mo-99 for International Nuclear Medicine Needs IAEA CRP on Mo-99 Production Using LEU or Neutron Activation Ira N. Goldman, Natesan Ramamoorthy, Pablo Adelfang International Atomic Energy Agency 2008 RERTR International Meeting October 5 - 9, 2008 Washington, DC
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Outline • Background and History • Participants • Recent Activities and Progress • Training/Technical Support and Procurements • Near-Term Plans • Conclusion
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Background • 99mTc reigns as the most used diagnostic tracer; 75-80% of all imaging >25 million studies/year • Weekly 99Mo requirements: ~450000 GBq (12000Ci, ‘6-day curies’) at reference time (~50% for USA). Well over 95% of 99Mo is produced using HEU targets (~50 kg) • Efforts to shift production of medical isotopes away from use of HEU (through RERTR, DOE/USA) • Some Member States (MS) of IAEA are seeking to become small scale, indigenous producers of 99Mo • Need to encourage and provide access to LEU technology or neutron activation (NA) methods as HEU is phased out from commercial use
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Objectives • Assist member states with adoption of LEU Cintichem (foil targets) or neutron activation (gel moly) technology. • Further demonstrate efficacy of LEU production of 99Mo • Advance intnl coopn for non-proliferation and nuclear security objectives, promote sustainable development. • Foster capacity building for local/regional self-sufficiency to meet 99Mo needs • Not Aimed: Engaging the large-scale industrial producers (but some are participating/contributing) www.iaea.org/OurWork/ST/NE/NEFW/nfcms_researchreactors_Mo99.html
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP History • November 2004 - Project Design Consultancy, Vienna • February 2005 - CRP approved • May 2005 - Potential Mo-99 Producer’s Workshop, Buenos Aires, Argentina • December 2005 – 1st RCM, Vienna, Austria • March 2006 – Foil Targets Workshop, Serpong, Indonesia • November 2006 - Workshop on Operational Aspects of Mo-99 Production, Vienna, Austria • April 2007 – 2nd RCM, Bucharest and Pitesti, Romania • 2007-2008 – Various training activities in Argentina, Chile, India, and Indonesia; equipment procurement, process installation, testing • Oct 13-16, 2008: 3rd RCM, MURR, Columbia, Mo, USA
RERTR 2008Mo-99 CRP Participants Contract Holders: -Chile/CCHEN - LEU foil targets fission moly -Egypt/EAEA – fission moly and gel generators -Kazakhstan/INP - gel moly portable generators -Libya/DRETC - LEU foil targets fission moly -Pakistan/PINSTECH - LEU foil plate targets fission moly -Romania/IFIN-HH Magurele - gel moly -Romania/INR Pitesti - LEU foil targets fission moly
RERTR 2008Mo-99 CRP Participants Agreement Holders: -Argentina/CNEA -India/BARC-BRIT -Indonesia/BATAN -Korea/KAERI -Poland/POLATOM -US/ANL -US/MURR
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Recent Progress/Activities • KAERI LEU foils sent to Poland, U.S. (ANL and MURR), October 2007 • Further calculation and analytical work (Chile, Egypt, Libya, Pakistan) • Annular foil target assembly and testing (Chile, Romania2) • R&D LEU foil plate target and LEU electro-deposition (Pakistan) • Hot cell modifications and preparations (Chile – new manipulators; Libya, Romania2, MURR) • Development of processing procedures, cold run (Chile, MURR, Romania2) • Development of QA procedures (Chile, MURR, Romania2) • Substantial intra-participant training and HR development (next slide) • Gel moly development and implementation (Kazakhstan, Romania1)
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Fostering Provision of Materials, Information Exchange • Aluminium tubing shipped from ANL (03/06) • KAERI supply of test foils with IAEA facilitation for transfers. LEU foils delivered to 4-5 participants (2007) • Glassware procured by IAEA with DOE funding; received by late 2006/early 2007 • ANSTO safety documentation distributed (early 2007) • MURR assistance in performing and evaluating thermal hydraulics calculations • BRIT/BARC assistance with gel generator know-how • CRP website increasingly important tool with several technical reports posted
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Training/Technical Assistance and Procurements • BRIT (India), February 2008, 1 Kazakhstan SV re: portable gel moly generator technology • BATAN, March 2008 - 1 Chilean, 2 Libyan Fellows LEU ingot rolling process, foil target fabrication, waste treatment • CNEA, June 2008 - 1 Libyan SV, QC for Mo-99 production • CCHEN, August 2008 - 1 Poland SV, LEU annular target fabrication equipment design, assembly, welding (2 Libyans unable to reach Chile) • Additional aluminum tubes procured by ANL for Chile and Poland • Bids for Cintichem laboratory equipment and supplies for Libya; evaluation underway
RERTR 2008: IAEA Mo-99 CRPProgress Status and Perspectives • Several groups in the CRP will advance to demonstrating 99Mo production using LEU • Objective findings on all related aspects: feasibility to adaptability – scope, requirements • Possible role of a few groups significant: (i) MURR, USA to establish compliance of LEU moly for generator use; (ii) 4 groups already handling generator production, thus well placed to use local LEU moly • 2 other groups will show the scale of applicability of gel moly system
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Future Activities • 3rd RCM, 13-16 October, MURR • Provision of fabricated annular targets to Libya • 1 Poland Fellowship to MURR (1 month, Oct-Nov. 2008) • Extension of CRP for an additional two years • Irradiation of LEU targets and processing of hot targets • Irradiation of Mo oxide and preparation of ‘moly Mo-99 gel powder for gel column generators • Compare, assess, and interpret results, provide follow-up, and suggest adaptive changes • Review compliance with specifications and purity requirements • Document/publish results
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Other Activities • Participated in Global Initiative (GI) for Preventing Proliferation Workshop on Mo-99 Production, Sydney, December 2007 • Maintain contact/input to NAS Mo-99 Study • Participated in DOE Isotopes Workshop, August 2008 • Respond to many inquiries regarding research reactors and Mo-99 production. • Encouraging RR networking, collaboration for isotope production (and other activities) under IAEA Research Reactor Coalitions Initiative.
Sydney Workshop on theProduction of 99Mo using LEU • GICNT: NNSA, DOE/USA and ANSTO; Sydney Dec 2-5, 2007; 50 participants from 14 countries • IAEA invited to, (I) join Executive Committee; (ii) present a talk; (iii) chair a Session • Practically all stakeholders sat together! • Workshop report: key issues, challenges (technical; economic; political) and path forward • Formal report to GI plenary in summer 2008
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Other influencing events • Vulnerability of Mo-99 supplies: Fall 2007 Canadian event; Summer 2008 European scenario • May 2008: Closure of MAPLE reactor project announced • NAS Mo-99 Study complete; Report awaited • Follow-up on DOE Isotopes Workshop held in August 2008 • Enquiries regarding the IAEA help: research reactor availability and Mo-99 production • Progress in additional production plans and identifying potential possibilities
RERTR 2008IAEA Mo-99 CRP Conclusion • Many CRP participants continue to make excellent progress. • Increasing technology transfer between the contract holders. • Participants are developing physical and human resource infrastructure to carry out successful trial irradiation and processing. • Recent events have demonstrated the fragility of the global Mo-99 supply infrastructure. • Medium term outlook for global Mo-99 supply highly uncertain due to aging isotope production reactors, lack of planned replacements. • Several participants have significant facilities that could be utilized in addressing global Mo-99 requirements. • Partnerships, joint ventures, or other commercial arrangements needed to further develop such potential alternative producers. • IAEA prepared to provide a forum to bring together all stakeholders for an objective analysis of requirements and to consider options for path forward.
Acknowledgements • DOE/NNSA – primary project funding • NTI: project management finances • Government of Norway – financial support • ANSTO, KAERI, CERCA: in-kind support
Thank you all for your attention n.ramamoorthy@iaea.org