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Westinghouse, Nordion, and PSEG team up to produce Co‑60 in the United States
This past January, Westinghouse Electric Company, Nordion, and PSEG Nuclear formalized agreements to implement newly developed cobalt-60 production technology at Units 1 and 2 of PSEG’s Salem nuclear power plant in New Jersey, with the Co-60 to be supplied to Nordion. Through an ongoing joint initiative, the companies aim to harness U.S. pressurized water reactors to produce a key medical isotope and build the first commercial-scale Co-60 production platform in the United States.
Raymond Gold and Roland J. Armani, James H. Roberts
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 34 | Number 1 | October 1968 | Pages 13-32
Technical Paper | doi.org/10.13182/NSE68-A19362
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
The method of fission track counting has been placed on a precise absolute basis. Sources of systematic error have been investigated and eliminated or reduced so that precise fission rate measurements can be conducted. Solid State Track Recorders (SSTR) of pre-etched mica and polycarbonate resin (Makrofol) have been used. Experimental results depend critically on the quality of the fission sources employed. Consequently, different methods of fission source preparation have been examined. The efficiency and sensitivity of this method have been determined for both mica and Makrofol. An irradiation assembly providing uniform neutron flux exposures is used for relative measurements. Absolute calibrations have been carried out with 244Cm spontaneous fission sources. A limiting accuracy of close to 1% for absolute uranium fission rate measurements has been achieved.