中国发展LEU生产医用99Mo技术的机遇与挑战

Opportunity and Challenge for Production of Medical 99Mo with Low Enriched Uranium Targets in China

  • 摘要: 99mTc是核医学临床使用最广泛的医用同位素,它主要来自于99Mo的衰变,而99Mo的主要生产方式是从235U裂变产物中提取。由于高浓铀(HEU,235U富集度>90%,通常为93%)的使用受到核不扩散条约的制约,采用低浓铀(LEU,235U富集度<20%,通常为19.75%)技术生产医用99Mo是发展趋势。目前已有南非、澳大利亚、比利时、荷兰等国家完成了LEU低浓铀转化。本研究在对99Mo的医学应用与需求分析的基础上,对LEU靶件生产裂变99Mo所面临的机遇与挑战进行分析。目前,低比活度99Mo的99Mo-99mTc发生器制备技术尚未取得突破,非裂变99Mo还不能完全替代裂变99Mo;对LEU生产裂变99Mo技术本身而言,LEU靶件制备技术、99Mo分离纯化的工艺是亟待解决的关键问题。

     

    Abstract: 99mTc, as the daughter of 99Mo, is the most important medical radioisotope in nuclear medicine. 99Mo is usually extracted from fission products of uranium235. Due to the restriction of treaty on the NonProliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) for high enriched uranium (HEU, higher than 90% 235U enrichment that is usually 93%), it will be the trend to use low enriched uranium (LEU, less than 20% 235U enrichment that is usually 19.75%) targets for medical 99Mo production. Up to date, South Africa, Australia, Belgium and Netherland had completed the conversion from HEU to LEU technology. In this paper, based on medical application and market demand of 99Mo, opportunity and challenge of 99Mo production with LEU targets were analyzed. Non-fission 99Mo can be produced at a large scale by neutron irradiating 98Mo target in reactor, while the fabrication technology for 99Mo-99mTc generator with low specific activity of 99Mo has not been broken through, which indicates little possibility of replacement of fission 99Mo by non-fission 99Mo. For the LEU technology itself, emphasis should be put on fabrication of LEU target, high efficiency of 99Mo seperation from LEU target.

     

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