METHOD FOR FABRICATING THIN CALIFORNIUM-CONTAINING RADIOACTIVE SOURCE WIRES

摘要

A method for reducing the cross-sectional diameter of a radioactive californium-containing cermet wire (17) while simultaneously improving the wire diameter to a more nearly circular cross section. A collet fixture (15) is used to reduce the wire diameter by contolled pressurization pulses while simultaneously improving the wire cross-sectional diameter. The method is especially suitable for use in hot cells for the production of optimized cermet brachytherapy sources that contain large amounts of radioactive californium-252.