Production of 89Sr in solution reactor

The new method for medical 89Sr production in a reactor with solution fuel is proposed which is characterized by simplicity, high production efficiency and low buildup of radioactive waste. The main advantages of the new technology were validated by numerous experiments.The proposed new technology selectively extracts 89Sr from a fuel of solution reactor and precludes penetration of 90Sr into the final product. This method is based on the presence of gaseous radionuclide 89Kr (T1/2=190.7 s) in the decay chain 89Se→89Br→89Kr→89Rb→89Sr. The performed experiments on taking the gas probes from internal volume of the solution 20 kW mini-reactor “Argus” have confirmed that the mechanism for 89Sr delivery to the sorption volume of the reactor experimental loop is based on transport of gaseous 89Sr predecessor-radionuclide 89Kr.According to the measurements of radioactive impurities in a final 89SrCl2 solution, the filtration of the gas flow with cermet filters followed by cleaning of 89Sr chloride solution in chromatographic columns with DOWEX-50×8 or Sr-Resin ensures reception of 89Sr fully meeting the requirements for medical application.The experimental estimations have shown that the proposed new technology is multiply more productive than the traditional industrial methods of 89Sr reception.