A site for nickel plating (applying a nickel layer to protect against corrosion and increase wear resistance) of cobalt blanks for the nuclear industry has been opened at Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU). This will allow the production of cobalt targets for the accumulation of radioactive cobalt-60.
Tomsk scientists have developed a technology for plasma nickel spraying in vacuum. With its help, durable parts for nuclear reactors can be created.
The production site at TPU is designed to produce at least 100 coated products per day. All equipment and materials used are of Russian origin.
Acting Rector of TPU Leonid Sukhih stated that the university staff faced a non-trivial task. It was necessary to ensure the adhesion of the nickel coating to cobalt over the entire surface of the product.
The proposed original development is based on a strong foundation of previous exploratory research.
Currently, Tomsk scientists are preparing for the certification of the production site. Control is entrusted to representatives of Rosatom, including designers of RBMK-type reactors.
Cobalt-60 is produced by irradiating stable cobalt-59 with thermal neutrons. For this, cobalt targets are placed in the active zone of a nuclear reactor. The process takes from several months to several years, depending on the specific activity of the metal (the number of decays per second per unit mass).
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