Development of the generation III (ATR generation I) Plutonium-238 production target design

Nick G Russell; Richard H Howard; Kurt R Smith

doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110912

Development of the generation III (ATR generation I) Plutonium-238 production target design

Appl Radiat Isot. 2023 Sep:199:110912. doi: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110912. Epub 2023 Jun 22.

Authors

Nick G Russell¹, Richard H Howard², Kurt R Smith²

Affiliations

¹ Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, United States. Electronic address: russellng@ornl.gov.
² Oak Ridge National Laboratory, PO Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, United States.

PMID: 37364425
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.110912

Abstract

A domestic supply chain to produce ²³⁸Pu fuel for radioisotope thermoelectric generators is critical for enabling future space exploration. A multi-laboratory effort has worked to establish a common target design to efficiently produce ²³⁸Pu in two research reactors. This approach ensures that the annual production goals set forth by NASA are met, while also establishing redundant production capabilities. This paper describes the effort to develop the common target design as well as considerations for future applications for the irradiation platform.

Keywords: 238Pu; ATR; HFIR; Irradiation facility; Isotope development; Plutonium-238 production; Pu-238; Radioisotope thermoelectric generator.