27/05/2022
Power unit No. 3 of the Kursk NPP started production of a unique Co-60 isotope
The first secondary cobalt absorber rod (SCAR) with starting material for the production of cobalt-60* was loaded into the reactor plant of power unit No. 3 of the Kursk NPP. In total, with constant monitoring of the neutron-physical characteristics of the reactor facility, 27 SCAR will be loaded.
"Work on the creation of new products - the cobalt-60 isotope is performed as part of the Rosenergoatom project "Organization of Co-60 production at RBMK-type reactors", which is part of the isotope business strategy of Rosatom State Corporation and the industry program "Development of the product line of nuclear medicine and technology," said Vyacheslav Fedyukin, director of the Kursk NPP. "We use the unique ability of ducted power reactors together with power generation to produce radiation sources that are used in medicine, agriculture and many industries."
The process of loading secondary cobalt absorbers is no different from loading standard secondary absorbers with boron carbide. Each secondary cobalt absorber includes 1152 nickel-plated natural cobalt-59 tablets. After 5 years of irradiation in a reactor facility, a natural element is transformed into a new isotope, cobalt-60.
"In 2018, we loaded the first cobalt absorber at Unit 4 of the Kursk NPP. Since that time, the team of the Kursk plant has gained a lot of experience, confirmed the safety and reliability of the work. The project proved to be exceptionally positive," said Nikolai Kushkovoy, head of the Radiation Technology Department. - Cobalt-60 has a consistently high commercial demand in the Russian and world markets. The volumes of cobalt-60 planned for production at power unit No. 3 of the Kursk NPP have already been contracted for the entire period of operation of the power unit. There is still a lot of work ahead to prepare for the unloading and handling of irradiated cobalt-60 in 5 years."
For reference:
*Cobalt-60 is a radioactive nuclide of the chemical element cobalt, which is practically not found in nature due to its short half-life. It is used in the production of gamma radiation sources used for: sterilization of food products, medical instruments and materials; activation of seed (to stimulate the growth and yield of grain and vegetable crops); disinfection and purification of industrial wastes, solid and liquid wastes of various types of industries; radiation modification of the properties of polymers and products made from them; remote and intracavitary gamma therapy; gamma flaw detection; determining the consistency (density) of liquid mixtures pumped through pipelines as part of density measuring devices; in systems for monitoring the level of metal in the mold during continuous casting of steel.
