A better way of welding targets for 91°µÍř’s plutonium-238 production has sped up the process and improved consistency and efficiency.
“I’ve always been drawn to nuclear,” Smith said. “It has zero emissions. It’s such a readily renewable resource.”
More than 70 years ago, United States Navy Captain Hyman Rickover learned the ins and outs of nuclear science and reactor technology at the Clinton Training School at what would eventually become the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍř.
A tiny vial of gray powder produced at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍř is the backbone of a new experiment to study the intense magnetic fields created in nuclear collisions.
The Department of Energy’s 91°µÍř is now producing actinium-227 (Ac-227) to meet projected demand for a highly effective cancer drug through a 10-year contract between the U.S. DOE Isotope Program and Bayer.
The American Nuclear Society has designated the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center at the Department of Energy’s 91°µÍř an ANS Nuclear Historic Landmark, recognizing more than 50 years of isotope production and nuclear f