Techniques for on-demand production of medical isotopes such as Mo-99/Tc-99m and radioactive iodine isotopes including I-131

摘要

A system for radioisotope production uses fast-neutron-caused fission of depleted or naturally occurring uranium targets in an irradiation chamber. Fast fission can be enhanced by having neutrons encountering the target undergo scattering or reflection to increase each neutron's probability of causing fission (n, f) reactions in U-238. The U-238 can be deployed as one or more layers sandwiched between layers of neutron-reflecting material, or as rods surrounded by neutron-reflecting material. The gaseous fission products can be withdrawn from the irradiation chamber on a continuous basis, and the radioactive iodine isotopes (including I-131) extracted.

主权项

1. An apparatus for producing radioisotopes comprising:
an irradiation chamber of rectangular configuration comprising an irradiation chamber outer wall at least a portion of which is formed as a rectangular shell; a compact, stand-alone, fast neutron generator disposed within said irradiation chamber configured to provide fast neutrons; NEU material disposed within said irradiation chamber; one or more NEU-receiving regions disposed within said irradiation chamber and configured to accommodate said NEU material; and one or more non-moderating, neutron-reflecting regions disposed in said irradiation chamber; wherein said one or more non-moderating, neutron-reflecting regions are configured to increase the path length traveled by at least some of said fast neutrons from said neutron generator before those ones of said fast neutrons leave said irradiation chamber; wherein said one or more non-moderating, neutron-reflecting regions disposed in said irradiation chamber comprise a plurality of plates or rectangular shells of non-moderating neutron-reflecting material; wherein said plurality of plates or rectangular shells are positioned to create spaces between ones of said plurality of plates or rectangular shells; and wherein said spaces define at least some of said one or more NEU-receiving regions.