TY - JOUR

T1 - Fission gas released from molten salt reactor fuel

T2 - the case of noble gas short life radioisotopes for radiopharmaceutical application

AU - Degueldre, Claude

AU - Dawson, Richard

AU - Cooley, Isabel

AU - Besley, Elena

PY - 2021/6/30

Y1 - 2021/6/30

N2 - The present study explores the potential of fission gas (Kr and Xe short life radioisotopes) released from a molten salt reactor, the separation of these noble gases using specific absorbents under well fixed conditions and the utilisation of these radioisotopes for radio-diagnostics. During operation, a molten salt reactor produces noble gas radioisotopes that bubble out from the liquid fuel and that can be sampled and treated for radiopharmaceutical applications including as tools for diagnostics using γ radioisotopes and/or potentially in radiotherapy for specific viral diseases using β− emitters. Among them 133Xe is currently used for lung diagnostics thanks to its 132.9 ​keV γ. The use of 85Kr for diagnostics is also examined. Its 514 ​keV γ could be used for scintigraphy. However 133Xe utilisation imply also its β− (Emean ​≈ ​100 ​keV) whose mean free pathway of 100 ​nm in biological tissue or in water is much smaller than the mean pathway of the 95Kr β−. Emphasis is placed on 133Xe because of its potential dual ability of imaging and as a suggested therapeutic tool of viral lung diseases.

AB - The present study explores the potential of fission gas (Kr and Xe short life radioisotopes) released from a molten salt reactor, the separation of these noble gases using specific absorbents under well fixed conditions and the utilisation of these radioisotopes for radio-diagnostics. During operation, a molten salt reactor produces noble gas radioisotopes that bubble out from the liquid fuel and that can be sampled and treated for radiopharmaceutical applications including as tools for diagnostics using γ radioisotopes and/or potentially in radiotherapy for specific viral diseases using β− emitters. Among them 133Xe is currently used for lung diagnostics thanks to its 132.9 ​keV γ. The use of 85Kr for diagnostics is also examined. Its 514 ​keV γ could be used for scintigraphy. However 133Xe utilisation imply also its β− (Emean ​≈ ​100 ​keV) whose mean free pathway of 100 ​nm in biological tissue or in water is much smaller than the mean pathway of the 95Kr β−. Emphasis is placed on 133Xe because of its potential dual ability of imaging and as a suggested therapeutic tool of viral lung diseases.

KW - Molten salt reactor

KW - Noble gas radioisotopes

KW - Radio-diagnostics

KW - Radiotherapy

U2 - 10.1016/j.medntd.2021.100057

DO - 10.1016/j.medntd.2021.100057

M3 - Journal article

VL - 10

JO - Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices

JF - Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices

SN - 2590-0935

M1 - 100057

ER -