Fission gas released from molten salt reactor fuel: the case of noble gas short life radioisotopes for radiopharmaceutical application

Degueldre, Claude; Dawson, Richard; Cooley, Isabel; Besley, Elena

Abstract

The present study explores the potential of fission gas (Kr and Xe short life radioisotopes) released from a molten salt reactor, the separation of these noble gases using specific absorbents under well fixed conditions and the utilisation of these radioisotopes for radio-diagnostics. During operation, a molten salt reactor produces noble gas radioisotopes that bubble out from the liquid fuel and that can be sampled and treated for radiopharmaceutical applications including as tools for diagnostics using γ radioisotopes and/or potentially in radiotherapy for specific viral diseases using β− emitters. Among them 133Xe is currently used for lung diagnostics thanks to its 132.9 ​keV γ. The use of 85Kr for diagnostics is also examined. Its 514 ​keV γ could be used for scintigraphy. However 133Xe utilisation imply also its β− (Emean ​≈ ​100 ​keV) whose mean free pathway of 100 ​nm in biological tissue or in water is much smaller than the mean pathway of the 95Kr β−. Emphasis is placed on 133Xe because of its potential dual ability of imaging and as a suggested therapeutic tool of viral lung diseases.

Citation

Degueldre, C., Dawson, R., Cooley, I., & Besley, E. (2021). Fission gas released from molten salt reactor fuel: the case of noble gas short life radioisotopes for radiopharmaceutical application. Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices, 10, Article 100057. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medntd.2021.100057

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jan 3, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Jan 18, 2021
• Publication Date: Jun 1, 2021
• Deposit Date: Sep 8, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 22, 2023
• Journal: Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices
• Electronic ISSN: 2590-0935
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 10
• Article Number: 100057
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medntd.2021.100057
• Keywords: Molten salt reactor, Noble gas radioisotopes, Radio-diagnostics, Radiotherapy
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/23520688
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2590093521000011?via%3Dihub