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Reimagining nuclear materials for the future of medicine
Nuclear medicine has come a long way since Henri Becquerel first observed the penetrating energy of radioactive materials in 1896. Today, technetium-99m alone is used in more than 40 million diagnostic procedures every year—from cardiovascular imaging and bone scans to cancer detection—making it the undisputed workhorse of nuclear medicine. That single statistic tells you something important: An enormous portion of modern diagnostic medicine rests on a surprisingly narrow foundation, one built around a small number of aging research reactors that were never originally designed for continuous isotope production.
S. Zheng, R. Pampin, S. Lilley, B. C. Na, M. J. Loughlin, N. P. Taylor, V. Barabash
Fusion Science and Technology | Volume 61 | Number 2 | February 2012 | Pages 167-171
Technical Paper | First Joint ITER-IAEA Technical Meeting on Analysis of ITER Materials and Technologies | doi.org/10.13182/FST12-A13384
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The scope, methodology, and preliminary results are presented of a series of neutron transport and activation analyses aimed at updating the ITER radioactive inventory assessment and assisting the waste management planning. Calculations are performed using state-of-the-art three-dimensional models, codes, and data libraries and thereby overcoming earlier conservative one-dimensional evaluations. The latest information on component design, maintenance, materials, and French regulatory framework is used. Results include categorization snapshots at different decay times, time histories of activation, IRAS index and other radiological quantities throughout the machine, and guidelines on interim decay times for different components. The aim is to provide information for the design and development of ITER systems, maintenance operations, and waste management processes and services.