A chargeable atomic battery (CAB) includes a plurality of CAB units and a CAB housing to hold the plurality of CAB units. Each of the CAB units are formed of a precursor compact including precursor material particles embedded inside an encapsulation material. The precursor material particles include a precursor kernel formed of a precursor material that is initially manufactured in a stable state and convertible into an activated material that is an activated state via atomic irradiation by a particle radiation source. Upon the precursor material being converted, the precursor material is in a partially depleted state such that an initial portion of the precursor material is depleted and a recharge portion of the precursor material is convertible into the activated state via atomic irradiation by the particle radiation source for recharging the chargeable atomic battery.

An apparatus for removing irradiated Co-60 capsules from a plurality of burnable absorber rodlets. The apparatus comprises a solenoid that induces an electromagnetic flux into a Co-60 capsule and locks the Co-60 capsule in parallel with the apparatus. The apparatus is slideable along a longitudinal axis of the burnable absorber rodlet and causes the Co-60 capsule to overcome a plurality of forces exerted on it.

An irradiation target system having an irradiation target with at least one annular plate defining a central opening and including an elongated body, a flange portion, and a tab portion, wherein the flange portion extends beyond a first end of the plurality of plates, a target debundling tool, having a base plate, a gripper assembly affixed to the base plate, and a twister assembly including a housing defining a target bore configured to receive the target therein, and a slide portion that is slidably and non-rotatably mounted to the housing at a bottom end of the target bore.

An irradiation target system having an irradiation target with at least one annular plate defining a central opening and including an elongated body, a flange portion, and a tab portion, wherein the flange portion extends beyond a first end of the plurality of plates, a target debundling tool, having a base plate, a gripper assembly affixed to the base plate, and a twister assembly including a housing defining a target bore configured to receive the target therein, and a slide portion that is slidably and non-rotatably mounted to the housing at a bottom end of the target bore.

The present invention is directed to processes for ionizing one or more lanthanide isotopes, processes for separating lanthanide isotopes, various apparatus and systems useful for these processes, and compositions prepared from these processes.

The present invention is directed to processes for ionizing one or more lanthanide isotopes, processes for separating lanthanide isotopes, various apparatus and systems useful for these processes, and compositions prepared from these processes.

According to embodiments, a light water reactor uranium fuel assembly is capable of reducing heating values of both Am-241 and Cm-244, to reduce the amount of generated vitrified waste without using fast reactors. The light water reactor uranium fuel assembly is a light water reactor uranium fuel assembly to be used in a nuclear fuel cycle that extracts. An americium isotope is extracted at the time of reprocessing of spent fuel to be added to a fuel, in which a weight fraction W (unit: wt %) of americium 241 to be added to a fuel heavy metal is in ranges of W<−0.006e.sup.2+0.12e−0.43 (enrichment: 5 wt % or more), W<−0.000356e+0.00357 (enrichment: 4.2 wt % or more and less than 5.0 wt %) with respect to an average enrichment of uranium 235 e (unit: wt %) of the fuel assembly.

A chargeable atomic battery (CAB) and a standardized pre-irradiation encapsulation manufacturing method. A CAB unit is manufactured through a non-radioactive process and then placed in a radiation field (typically a fission reactor) to convert a portion of a non-radioactive precursor material into an activated material (e.g., radioisotope) for charging. After charging, the CAB unit is ready for use and can be combined with additional CAB units into a CAB stack to achieve the desired activity and then integrated into a CAB pack or a product that uses the radioactivity for the desired application such as heating, electricity, and passive x-ray sources. The pre-irradiation encapsulation manufacturing method uses a die press and sintering process to produce the CAB unit with the precursor material fully encapsulated by the encapsulation material. During and after the charging process, the encapsulation material serves as a barrier, preventing release of the activated material release.

The invention provides a sintered rare earth metal oxide target for producing a radioisotope in an instrumentation tube of a nuclear power reactor, wherein the sintered target has a density of at least 90 percent of the theoretical density, and wherein the sintered target contains chromium in an amount of from 500 to 2000 μg/g, and Mg and/or Ca in an amount of from 1000 to 6000 μg/g. The sintered target is prepared by providing a rare earth metal oxide powder, blending the rare earth metal oxide powder with chromium oxide, dry granulating and consolidating the powder in a mold to form a spheroidal green body, and sintering the green body in solid phase to form a spheroidal ytterbia target.

The invention provides a sintered rare earth metal oxide target for producing a radioisotope in an instrumentation tube of a nuclear power reactor, wherein the sintered target has a density of at least 90 percent of the theoretical density, and wherein the sintered target contains chromium in an amount of from 500 to 2000 μg/g, and Mg and/or Ca in an amount of from 1000 to 6000 μg/g. The sintered target is prepared by providing a rare earth metal oxide powder, blending the rare earth metal oxide powder with chromium oxide, dry granulating and consolidating the powder in a mold to form a spheroidal green body, and sintering the green body in solid phase to form a spheroidal ytterbia target.