In the field of nuclear medicine, radioisotopes are used for applications such as diagnostic imag-
ing, treatment, and equipment sterilization. The most commonly used radioisotope in medicine is
technetium-99m (Tc-99m). It is used in 80% of all nuclear medicine procedures. Its parent isotope is
molybdenum-99 (Mo-99). NRU, which is now closed, formerly produced 40% of the worlds demand
for Mo-99. The production capacity of this reactor has been supplemented by a network of cyclotrons
and a modified research reactor. This study aims to provide an alternative means of production for
Mo-99, as well as other radioisotopes by modifying the center pin of a standard 37-element bundle of
a CANDU reactor.
The neutron transport code DRAGON, and the neutron diffusion code DONJON were used to
model a CANDU-9 reactor. The lowest, median, and highest power channels were chosen as candi-
dates for the modified bundles. It was found that the reactor parameters were altered by a negligible
amount when any one channel was used to house the modified bundles. Significant quantities of the
radioisotope lutetium-177 as well as the generating isotopes of the alpha-emitting radioisotopes lead-
212/bismuth-212, and radium-223 were produced. However, only minute amounts of molybdenum-99,
and the generating isotope of bismuth-213 were produced. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:mcmaster.ca/oai:macsphere.mcmaster.ca:11375/23981 |
| Date | January 2018 |
| Creators | Sutherland, Zachary |
| Contributors | Novog, David, Engineering Physics and Nuclear Engineering |
| Source Sets | McMaster University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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