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Uses of Cf-252

In the past, the majority of the U.S. output of Cf-252 has been used by DOE for defense purposes. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security also uses it to inspect shipping containers and to calibrate radiation detectors. The remaining amount has been sold to commercial industry for various uses.

• About half of the commercial supply of Cf-252 is used by the nuclear energy industry for quality assurance testing to determine the initial uranium enrichment in nuclear fuel manufacturing. Customers include Global Nuclear Fuel (a joint venture of General Electric, Toshiba and Hitachi), Westinghouse, Mitsubishi and AREVA. The element also is used as a neutron source for commercial and naval reactor startup.

Other important uses of Cf-252:

• It is used to treat several types of cancers and to identify chromosome damage.

• More than 400 cement plants, 150 coal mines and 75 power plants depend on Cf-based Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation Analysis (PGNAA) for process control. The technique is also used in the oil and gas, ore, and scrap metal industries.

• The element is used by nearly 25 universities and research institutions in educational tools and for low-energy physics experiments.

Demand for Cf-252 Expected to Grow

Market demand for Cf-252 is expected to grow due to expansion in the following areas:

• In the nuclear power industry, 31 reactors are under construction worldwide, with attendant increases in fuel fabrication and reactor startup. U.S. companies have filed applications for 26 new reactors.

• Sales of PGNAA analyzers have grown by 250 percent since 2003, with further growth expected by 2010. As the installed base of these analyzers grows, replenishment needs have risen dramatically.

• In the oil and gas industry, Cf-252 could replace americium-beryllium (AmBe) neutron sources used in well logging. There is a world shortage of AmBe sources since DOE stopped producing Am-241. Russia is now the only supplier.