Radiation Physics and Engineering
A peer-reviewed journal published by K. N. Toosi University of Technology

Evaluation of the mass and activity of Am-241 radionuclide production from different reactors using ORIGEN code

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Sareh Ammari Alahyari 1
Mohammad Ghannadi Maragheh 1
Ehsan Boustani 2
Amir Charkhi 1
Ali Yadollahi 1

1 Nuclear fuel cycle research school, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, P.O. BOX: 1439955933, Tehran, Iran

2 Reactor and nuclear safety research school, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Isfahan, Iran

https://doi.org/10.22034/rpe.2024.482168.1247
Abstract
Am-241 is one of the transuranic elements that is used in measuring and controlling the thickness of various industrial materials, diagnosing thyroid disorders, smoke detectors production, designing neutron sources for well logging, etc. Therefore, due to the wide applications of this isotope, research and development for its production, separation, and purification are of great importance. Nowadays, the commercial production of this isotope is done in the United States and Russia. Since the production of Am-241is carried out from irradiated fuel of power reactors or irradiation targets in research reactors, in this work, the possibility of production and activity of this radionuclide from the irradiated fuel of a typical 1000 MWe and 360 MWe reactors has been investigated using the ORIGEN code. Results indicate the highest production of Am-241 in a 1000 MWe reactor. Therefore, the irradiated fuel of the 1000 MWe reactor can be a suitable source for the extraction of this isotope.

Highlights

  • The mass and activity of Am-241 from the spent fuel of 1000 and 360 Mwe reactors are compared.
  • Results indicate that the amount of Am increases with the cooling time after removal of SNF.
  • The mass of Am-241 from 1000 MWe reactor is about 2.85-8.97 times higher than that of the 360 MWe.
  • Irradiated fuel from the 1000 MW reactor can be a suitable source for the extraction of Am

Keywords

Am-241
ORIGEN code
Irradiated fuel
Nuclear power reactors
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Radiation Physics and Engineering
Volume 6, Issue 2
Winter 2025
Pages 53-57

  • Receive Date 07 October 2024
  • Revise Date 04 December 2024
  • Accept Date 07 December 2024

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