Homogeneous ^242mAm-Fueled Reactor for Neutron Capture Therapy

The best sources of neutrons for neutron capture therapy (NCT) are nuclear reactors. To consider installing nuclear reactors in hospitals, such reactors must be cheap and inherently safe. To meet these requirements, the power of the reactor should be low. To obtain low reactor power and high flux, the critical mass should be small.

A preliminary design for a 10-kW homogeneous reactor with a critical mass of 19.22 g ^242mAm is presented. The obtained results of this reactor are compared with the NCT requirements. Although the presented design could potentially be a cheap reactor, there is uncertainty regarding the cost of the ^242mAm fuel.