Device and method for producing medical isotopes

Abstract

A hybrid nuclear reactor that is operable to produce a medical isotope includes an ion source operable to produce an ion beam from a gas, a target chamber including a target that interacts with the ion beam to produce neutrons, and an activation cell positioned proximate the target chamber and including a parent material that interacts with the neutrons to produce the medical isotope via a fission reaction. An attenuator is positioned proximate the activation cell and selected to maintain the fission reaction at a subcritical level, a reflector is positioned proximate the target chamber and selected to reflect neutrons toward the activation cell, and a moderator substantially surrounds the activation cell, the attenuator, and the reflector.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of producing a medical isotope, the method comprising:
 exciting a gas to produce an ion beam;   passing the ion beam to a target chamber including a target, the target and the ion beam reacting to produce neutrons;   reacting at least some of the neutrons with a neutron multiplier to produce additional neutrons;   passing at least some of the neutrons to a neutron moderator and producing thermal neutrons;   maintaining a fission reaction at a subcritical level between a parent material and at least some of the neutrons, at least some of the additional neutrons, and at least some of the thermal neutrons, wherein the parent material is positioned in an aqueous solution within an activation cell; and   producing the medical isotope via the fission reaction.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the activation cell is positioned proximate the target chamber. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the activation cell comprises an annular activation cell. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the neutron multiplier is annular and is concentric with the annular activation cell. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein the neutron moderator is positioned radially outward the annular activation cell. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the neutron moderator comprises H 2 O, D 2 O, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the target and the ion beam react via a fusion reaction to produce the neutrons. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the target comprises deuterium, tritium, or helium, or a combination thereof; 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein the gas includes one of deuterium and tritium and the target includes the other of deuterium and tritium. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the target comprises a gas. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein RF resonance is used to produce the ion beam. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising accelerating the ion beam with an accelerator positioned between the target chamber and an ion source operable to produce the ion beam from a gas. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the target chamber defines a target path that is substantially linear. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising positioning at least one magnet to define a magnetic field that collimates the ion beam within at least a portion of the target path. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the target chamber defines a target path that is substantially helical. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising positioning at least one magnet to define a magnetic field that directs the ion beam along the helical path. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the target chamber and an ion source operable to produce the ion beam from a gas together at least partially define one of a plurality of fusion reactors, and wherein the plurality of fusion reactors are positioned proximate the activation cell. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the parent material comprises uranium enriched to 20% or less of  235 U and the medical isotope is  99 Mo.