Homogeneous Am-242m-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 reacto rs 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, t he critical mass should be small. A preliminary design for a 10-kW homogeneous reactor with a critical mass o f 19.22 g Am-242m is presented. The obtained results of this reactor are co mpared with the NCT requirements. Although the presented design could poten tially be a cheap reactor, there is uncertainty regarding the cost of the A m-242m fuel.