Description
With the growth of nuclear medicine, diagnostic imaging, and radiotherapy, the demand for medical radioisotopes will continue to rise. The current methods for radioisotope production in the United States are costly, inefficient, and unreliable with most medical radioisotopes being imported from foreign facilities. This project will analyze Molten Salt Reactors (MSR) as a potential means of radioisotope production. Although there are numerous radioisotopes with medical applications, this project will focus on manufacturing Molybdenum-99, Xenon-133, Tritium, and Lutetium-177. Over the course of this project, there will be depictions of production and extraction methods for each isotope within the MSR. In addition to determining if this is an effective means of production, there will be a discussion on the isotopes' extraction rate, medical applications, demand, safety regulations, and impact on the overall profit of the reactor. The goal is to develop a realistic and efficient approach to medical radioisotope production within a preexisting MSR.