Abstract:
Phosphorus-32 (
32P), a beta-emitting medical radioisotope, exhibits unique therapeutic efficacy in treating polycythemia vera, dermatological conditions, hemangiomas, and alleviating bone metastasis pain. Research reactors serve as critical facilities for the industrial scale production of
32P. This paper first introduces the applications of
32P and the current status of its reactor-based production. Utilizing a sophisticated burnup calculation code, the conversion characteristics and yield of
32P produced via irradiation in research reactors were computationally analyzed. The results demonstrate that high flux reactors offer significant advantages over research reactors with typical neutron flux levels for producing
32P via the neutron capture method. The
32S(n, p)
32P reaction pathway enables the production of carrier-free
32P with higher specific activity. The findings of this study provide technical references for
32P production through research reactor irradiation. Subsequent research will further optimize the irradiation schemes for
32P production in high flux reactors.