Progress on Pu-238 production at Idaho National Laboratory from February 2022 to July 2023

Idaho National Laboratory (INL) has continued to qualify irradiation positions in the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) for Pu-238 production to support NASA deep space missions. Over the past year, INL qualified Np-237 targets for ATR’s North East Flux Trap (NEFT), Inner-A and H positions. Work has begun to requalify the South Flux Trap (SFT) and to qualify the East Flux Trap (EFT) for the ATR GEN I target and is midway through the qualification process. This paper gives an overview of operational and technical activities from February 2022 to July 2023.. Authors: Zillmer, Andrew John [US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems, Washington, DC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000349972321); Green, William Spencer [US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems, Washington, DC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000227416319); Lower, Justin D. [US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems, Washington, DC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000210901692); Mitchell, Jill R. [US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems, Washington, DC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000164022338); Grayson, Brittany Jean [US Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems, Washington, DC (United States)] (ORCID:0000000181324485). DOE Contract: AC05-00OR22725; AC07-05ID14517. Subjects: 07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES; 99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS; Plutonium; Plutonium Production; Pu-238; Pu-238 production