Demonstration of {sup 99}MO production using LEU metal-foil targets in the cintichem process.

In March and September 1999, demonstrations of the irradiation, disassembly, and processing of LEU metal foil targets were performed in the Indonesian BATAN PUSPIPTEK Facilities. These demonstrations showed that (1) irradiation and disassembly can be performed so that the uranium foil can be easily removed from the target body, and (2) with only minor changes to the current process, the LEU foil can produce yield and purity of the {sup 99}Mo product at least as great as that obtained with the HEU target. Further, because of these modifications, two hours are cut from the processing time, and the liquid waste volume is reduced. Results of these demonstrations will be presented along with conclusions and plans for future work.