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 The gaseous fission products can be withdrawn from the irradiation chamber on a continuous basis, and the radioactive iodine isotopes (including I-131) extracted.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. Apparatus for producing radioactive iodine isotopes comprising:
a neutron generator that is not a nuclear reactor; an irradiation chamber, the irradiation chamber providing a number of regions configured to receive NEU material for irradiation by neutrons generated by the neutron generator, the irradiation chamber having a gas inlet port and a gas outlet port, and the irradiation chamber having at least one non-moderating neutron-reflecting region;
wherein, during irradiation,
fission reactions occur in the NEU material,at least some of the fission reactions lead to the production of radioactive iodine, andat least some of the radioactive iodine sublimates in the irradiation chamber;wherein the gas inlet port is configured to allow a carrier gas to be introduced into the gas inlet port to mix with the sublimated radioactive iodine and form a gas mixture; andwherein the gas outlet is configured to allow withdrawing the gas mixture from the gas outlet; and a mechanism for separating at least some of the radioactive iodine from other components of the gas mixture.