European Conference on Neutron Scattering 2023

The SORGENTINA-RF project: fusion neutrons for medical radioisotopes and beyond

21 Mar 2023, 16:00

2h

Yards 4 - 6 (Fakultät für Maschinenwesen)

Board: TU-190

Poster Neutron Instrumentation, Optics, Sample Environment, Detectors, and Software Poster session TUESDAY

Speaker

Antonino Pietropaolo (ENEA Deparment of Fusion and Technologies for Nuclear Safety and Security)

Description

The SORGENTINA-RF project is presented in terms of general structure and description of the main tasks and activities to be carried out. It is devoted to the design and development of a medium power 14 MeV fusion neutron source relying on a rotating target and a deuterium/tritium ion accelerator. The main focus of the neutron facility is the production of radiopharmaceutical precursors, in particular ${}^{99}$Mo as precursor of ${}^{99m}$Tc, a radio-tracer used in single photon emission computed tomography. The nuclear reaction involved in the production of ${}^{99}$Mo is the inelastic reaction ${}^{100}$Mo(n,2n)${}^{99}$Mo. The facility will assess the chain that starts with the irradiation of the natural molybdenum (where ${}^{100}$Mo has an isotopic abundance of about 10\%) up to the production of the so-called mother solution, a liquid solution named sodium molybdate. The facility will also make available fast and thermal neutrons beams for studies on innovative medical radioisotopes as well as materials.