Making99Mo in reactors

Conclusions This comparison of two ways of making⁹⁹Mo shows that there is good scope for making it in any area. If there is a thermal reactor having a high flux, one can make⁹⁹Mo from⁹⁸Mo, and in that case, even irradiation in a high flux makes it favorable to use highly enriched⁹⁸Mo and unblocked targets, which raises the specific activity and thus increases the working life in the^99mTc generator.If there is a thermal reactor with low flux or if there is a fast reactor it is best to make⁹⁹Mo from uranium fission products. The target can be highly enriched²³⁵U, which if necessary can be reused, or low-enriched uranium.There are no essential constraints on making⁹⁹Mo, and the production is mainly based on technological tasks.Translated from Atomnaya Énergiya, Vol. 67, No. 2, pp. 104–108, August, 1989.