RA-10, Argentine Multipurpose Reactor

The National Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) is carrying out the design, construction, assembly and commissioning of a multipurpose nuclear reactor, the RA-10. Its main objective is the production of radioisotopes for medical and industrial use, capable of supplying the national and international market, as well as offering world-class capabilities for the application of nuclear techniques to scientific and technological research.

The RA-10 project began in 2010 and construction is expected to be completed in 2023, after which preliminary tests and commissioning will be carried out. It is expected to be operational by 2025.

The RA-10, one of the largest investments of the Argentine national state in the area of science and technology, has the following objectives:

1.- Address the growing world demand for radioisotopes for medical applications, as well as consolidate the supply of radioisotopes for medical, industrial and agricultural use for the local and international market.

2.- To consolidate the production of fuels for research reactors.

Strengthen the country's research and development capacities and offer research facilities in neutron techniques for biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and materials, among others.

It is intended that the future RA-10 Multipurpose Nuclear Reactor will have a strong impact on health, science and technology, industry and nuclear technology.

Impact on health. Worldwide interest in technetium-99 and other radioisotopes for disease diagnosis and therapeutic use is growing. The RA-10 Reactor and the Fission Radioisotope Production Plant (FRPP) will supply national needs and can contribute to global demand.

Impact on science and technology. The RA-10 Reactor, together with the Argentine Neutron Beam Laboratory (LAHN), will provide the scientific and technological community with world-class instruments linked to neutron techniques for cutting-edge research and development in Materials Science, Biology and Biochemistry.

Impact on industry. RA-10 will produce doped silicon, the highest quality raw material for the development of advanced electronic applications, and industrial iridium sources for the evaluation of the integrity and quality of large-scale constructions.

Impact on nuclear technology. The RA-10, together with the Irradiated Materials Testing Laboratory (LEMI), will make it possible to study the behaviour of nuclear materials, expanding the capabilities to produce and qualify new fuels and components for future experimental and power reactors.