• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.56 no.9
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• pp.3566-3570
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• 2024

The production of the radioisotope molybdenum-99 in the WWR-K research reactor is achieved through the activation method ⁹⁸Mo(n,γ)⁹⁹Mo, utilizing a target of natural molybdenum trioxide irradiated under standard conditions (thermal neutron spectra and water environment). Under such conditions, the maximum specific activity of molybdenum-99 reaches (2.3 ± 0.3) Ci/g Mo after 7 d of irradiation. However, the escalating demand for molybdenum-99 and the need to reduce its production cost, necessitates urgent and increased productivity. This study aims to optimize the irradiation conditions for molybdenum powder in the WWR-K reactor to increase the specific activity of molybdenum-99. For this purpose, we evaluated various irradiation capsule designs comprised various neutron moderator materials and thicknesses. Through extensive modeling calculations, we obtained an optimal capsule design that increases the specific activity of molybdenum-99 to 3.31 Ci per 1 g of Mo.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2010

Beam quality is determined according to Xray tube's target material. In a range of between 22 kVp and 28 kVp, molybdenum target generates the characteristics energy between the average 17.9 kVp and 19.5 kVp, which produces the high contrast image of the breast. In this study, we used the Mo/Mo combination breast device and ALVIM TRM phantom and measured the detection ability of the minute lesion in the breast imaging throughout analyzing ROC curves. Assuming that an average subject thickness of the breast is 40 mm, the detection ability was not dependent on the kVp changes in a while dependent on both the mAs and thickness change. We can assure that it is not needed to increase the kVp for the imaging of breast which thickness is within the mean range of 40 mm.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.365-374
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• 1999

A nuclear design of fission moly production targets for a research reactor, HANARO was peformed. It was found that the use of MCNP-4A, ORIGEN-2 code was reliable for the analysis of production characteristics of $^{99}$ Mo in a target fuel at an irradiation holes. A parametric study was done for the optimization of target location, target dimension, target shape and fuel materials. It was shown that a fuel thickness was the most sensitive parameters and electro-deposited target gave the highest 99Mo yield ratio. A pellet target with vibro-compaction powder, however, showed the largest production capacity and better engineering feasibility even with less yield ratio. Ten kinds of optimized target design for both LEU and HEU satisfied all the given design constraints. The most favorable design was the HEU ring-shaped electro-deposited target, considered the safety limit, production yield, chemical process easiness, yield ratio, and amount of radioactive waste.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.175-180
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• 2019

In this study, we have researched the effectiveness of silicone pad. A distribution of scatter ray in mammography was evaluated using Monte-Carlo (MC) simulation technique and then a silicone pad was applied to remove the scatter ray for improving image quality. Molybdenum target and Molybdenum filter combination made a difference of 59.8% to a number of photon at 17.5 keV. On the other hand, Tungsten target and Rhodium filter showed a variation of 24.5% at 20 keV. Mean 68 of SNR was increased in Selenia and mean 1.04 of SNR was raised in Senographe. Silicone pad was significantly effective to reduce the scatter ray that was generated by primary X-ray. It can decrease an absorption rate of scatter ray to patient body and whilst it improve the image quality from increasing SNR.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1863-1870
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• 2023

Molybdenum-99 (⁹⁹Mo) is used for preparing Technetium-99 m (^99mTc), which is the most widely used isotope in nuclear medicine. In this work, a study for ⁹⁹Mo production based on a high-power electron accelerator has been performed as an alternative approach to produce ^99mTc. In this study, Monte Carlo MCNPX2.6 code has been used to examine a novel idea of simultaneous hybrid production of ⁹⁹Mo via both photoneutron and neutron capture reactions using an electron accelerator in heavy water tank. It is expected that this conceptual design including an arrangement of metallic plates of ¹⁰⁰Mo and ⁹⁸Mo produces total activity of 97.5 Ci at the end of 20-h continuous e-beam irradiation (30 MeV, 10 mA).

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.7
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• pp.979-986
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• 2013

Uranium metal particle dispersion plates have been proposed as targets for Molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) production to improve the radioisotope production efficiency of conventional low enriched uranium targets. In this study, uranium powder was produced by centrifugal atomization, and miniature target plates containing uranium particles in an aluminum matrix with uranium densities up to 9 $g-U/cm^3$ were fabricated. Additional heat treatment was applied to convert the uranium particles into UAlx compounds by a chemical reaction of the uranium particles and aluminum matrix. Thus, these target plates can be treated with the same alkaline dissolution process that is used for conventional $UAl_x$ dispersion targets, while increasing the uranium density in the target plates.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.613-623
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• 2016

Molybdenum-99 ($^{99}Mo$) is the most important isotope because its daughter isotope, technetium-99m ($^{99m}Tc$), has been the most widely used medical radioisotope for more than 50 years, accounting for > 80% of total nuclear diagnostics worldwide. In this review, radiochemical routes for the production of $^{99}Mo$, and the aspects for selecting a suitable process strategy are discussed from the historical viewpoint of $^{99}Mo$ technology developments. Most of the industrial-scale $^{99}Mo$ processes have been based on the fission of $^{235}U$. Recently, important issues have been raised for the conversion of fission $^{99}Mo$ targets from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium (LEU). The development of new LEU targets with higher density was requested to compensate for the loss of $^{99}Mo$ yield, caused by a significant reduction of $^{235}U$ enrichment, from the conversion. As the dramatic increment of intermediate level liquid waste is also expected from the conversion, an effective strategy to reduce the waste generation from the fission $^{99}Mo$ production is required. The mitigation of radioxenon emission from medical radioisotope production facilities is discussed in relation with the monitoring of nuclear explosions and comprehensive nuclear test ban. Lastly, the $^{99}Mo$ production process paired with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute's own LEU target is proposed as one of the most suitable processes for the LEU target.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.666-673
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• 2022

The optimization of a transmission type bremsstrahlung conversion target was carried out with Monte Carlo code FLUKA for intense pulsed electron beams with electron energy of several hundred keV for maximum photon fluence. The photon emission intensity from electrons with energy ranging from 300 keV to 1 MeV on tungsten, tantalum and molybdenum targets was calculated with varied target thicknesses. The research revealed that higher target material element number and electron energy leads to increased photon fluence. For a certain target material, the target thickness with maximum photon emission fluence exhibits a linear relationship with the electron energy. With certain electron energy and target material, the thickness of the target plays a dominant role in increasing the transmission photon intensity, with small target thickness the photon flux is largely restricted by low energy loss of electrons for photon generation while thick targets may impose extra absorption for the generated photons. The spatial distribution of bremsstrahlung photon density was analyzed and the optimal target thicknesses for maximum bremsstrahlung photon fluence were derived versus electron energy on three target materials for a quick determination of optimal target design.

• Journal of Integrative Natural Science
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.87-91
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• 2020

Molybdenum carbide (MoC_x) thin films (TFs) were deposited by reactive radio frequency (rf) magnetron co-sputtering in high vacuum chamber. We compared the properties of MoC_x thin films as the rf power changed on C target. The result of alpha step measurement showed that the thickness of the MoC_x TFs varied from163.3 to 194.86 nm as C power was increased from 160 to 200 W. The crystallinity of MoC_x such as b-Mo₂C, Mo₂C, and diamond like carbon (DLC) structures were observed by XRD. The oxidation states of Mo and C were determined using high resolution XPS spectra of Mo 3d and C 1s were deconvoluted. Molybdenum was consisted of Mo, Mo⁴⁺, and Mo⁶⁺ species. And C was deconvoluted to C-Mo, C, C-O, and C=O species.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.2 no.5
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• pp.375-382
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• 1992

Molybdenum silicide films have been prepared by sputtering from a single composite MoS$i_2$ source on both P, B$F_2$respectively implanted (5${\times}10^{15}ions/cm^2$ single crystal and P implanted (5${\times}10^{15}ions/cm^2$) polycrystalline silicon substrates followed by rapid thermal annealing in the ambient of argon. The heat treatment temperatures have been varied in the range of 600-l20$0^{\circ}C$ for 20 seconds. The properties of Mo-silicide and the diffusion behaviors of dopant after the heat treatment are investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy(SEM) , secondary ions mass spectrometry(SIMS), four-point probe and $\alpha-step.$ Annealing at 80$0^{\circ}C$ or higher resulted in conversion of the amorphous phase into predominantly MoS$i_2$and a lower sheet resistance. There was no significant out-diffusion of dopants from both single crystal and polycrystalline silicon substrate into molybdenum silicide layers during annealing.