A target for producing C-14 isotopes in heavy water reactors

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to disclose a target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor, comprising a connecting rod and an end plate, a target barrel assembly or an absorption rod assembly is arranged around the connecting rod, and the target barrel assembly or the absorption rod assembly is fixed by the end plate at the upper and lower ends of the arrangement position, and the connecting rod is connected to an upper positioning mechanism to position the target; compared with the prior art, by placing the target in a heavy water reactor core and generating C-14 isotopes by irradiation of thermal neutrons, the industrial production of C-14 isotopes can be achieved, which helps to solve the production capacity of C-14, break the foreign technology blockade, obtain the right to speak in the international isotope trading market, promote the development of domestic biomedicine, environmental protection, isotope labeling detection and other industries, and achieve the purpose of the present invention.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a target for producing C-14 isotopes, in particular to a target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor. Background Art

[0002] 14 C is a pure β radioactive isotope that can be made into carbon labeled compounds for detection and tracing. It is widely used in agriculture, industry, medicine, and biological sciences. 14 The annual market demand for C has reached 1000-2000 times. Since 2010, 14 There is a gap in the supply of C radioactive sources, and the price has increased 5 to 10 times in 6 years; on the other hand, 14 The market demand for C-labeling is increasing. For example, many countries, including China, have begun to require that new drugs and even generic drugs must be labeled. 14 C Pharmacokinetic analysis.

[0003] At present, the international industrial production 14 The countries with the ability to produce C radioactive sources are mainly Canada, Russia and the United States. Among them, Canada's Chalk River production reactor has been decommissioned and isotope production has stopped; Russia's MAYAK company's production reactor has a low output and mainly supplies the domestic market; major pharmaceutical companies in the United States have jointly applied to the Department of Energy to increase their own 14 C production capacity, but currently its 14 CThe production scale is still difficult to expand.

[0004] Therefore, there is a particular need for a target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor to solve the above-mentioned existing problems. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide a target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor, which, in view of the deficiencies of the prior art, has a simple structure, is easy to process and manufacture, and can realize the industrial production of C-14 isotopes.

[0006] The technical problem solved by the present invention can be achieved by adopting the following technical solutions:

[0007] A target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor, characterized in that it includes a connecting rod and an end plate, a target barrel assembly or an absorption rod assembly is arranged around the connecting rod, and the upper and lower ends of the target barrel assembly or the absorption rod assembly are fixed by the end plate at the arrangement position, and the connecting rod is connected to an upper positioning mechanism to position the target.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the target barrel assembly comprises a cladding, an end plug and a target material, the cladding and the end plug are welded to form a sealed chamber, and the target material is encapsulated in the sealed chamber.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the absorbent rod assembly comprises an end plug and an absorbent material, wherein the absorbent material is cylindrical and is disposed on the end plug.

[0010] Furthermore, a shell is provided on the outside of the absorbent material.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the target barrel assembly comprises an inner ring casing, an outer ring casing and an end plate, wherein the inner ring casing, the outer ring casing and the end plate constitute a sealed cavity, and the target material is encapsulated in the sealed cavity.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the absorber rod assembly comprises an inner ring shell, an outer ring shell and an end plate, wherein the inner ring shell, the outer ring shell and the end plate constitute a sealed cavity, and the absorber material is encapsulated in the sealed cavity.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the connecting rod passes through the center of the end plate, and the end plate and the connecting rod are connected to each other by means including welding and threading.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the target barrel assembly or the absorption rod assembly and the end plate are connected to each other by means of welding, threaded connection and snap-on connection.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, a steel wire rope is provided at the head of the connecting rod, and the connecting rod is connected to an upper positioning mechanism through the steel wire rope to position the target.

[0016] In one embodiment of the present invention, the targets are stacked on top of each other to form a larger target.

[0017] Compared with the prior art, the target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor of the present invention can realize the industrial production of C-14 isotopes by placing the target in the core of a heavy water reactor and generating C-14 isotopes by irradiation of thermal neutrons, which is helpful to solve the production capacity of C-14, break the foreign technology blockade, obtain the right to speak in the international isotope trading market, promote the development of domestic biomedicine, environmental protection, isotope labeling detection and other industries, and achieve the purpose of the present invention.

[0018] The features of the present invention can be clearly understood by referring to the drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a target in one form of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of a target barrel assembly in one form of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of an absorption rod assembly in one form of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a structure of a long target formed by stacking targets in one form of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 5 It is a schematic structural diagram of another form of a target barrel assembly or an absorption rod assembly of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A schematic cross-sectional view of

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of another form of target stacking to form a long target according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the technical means, creative features, objectives and effects achieved by the present invention easy to understand, the present invention is further described below with reference to specific diagrams.

[0027] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor of the present invention includes a connecting rod 1 and an end plate 2. A target barrel assembly 3 or an absorption rod assembly 4 is arranged around the connecting rod 1, and the upper and lower ends of the arrangement position of the target barrel assembly 3 or the absorption rod assembly 4 are fixed by the end plate 2. The connecting rod 1 is connected to the upper positioning mechanism and positions the target.

[0028] The target barrel assembly 3 comprises a cladding 31 , an end plug 32 and a target material 33 . The cladding 31 and the end plug 32 are welded to form a sealed chamber, and the target material 33 is encapsulated in the sealed chamber.

[0029] The target material 33 may be a solid material containing nitrogen. In addition to nitrogen, the material may also contain elements such as Ca, Ba, Mg, Al, Si, etc. whose microscopic capture cross section of thermal neutron absorption (2200 m / s) does not exceed 1 barn, and mixtures thereof. According to the selection of the target material, the end plug 32 and the cladding 31 may be selected from the group consisting of zirconium and zirconium-based alloys, aluminum and aluminum-based alloys, quartz glass, nickel-based alloys, and stainless steel with a density close to or completely equal to the theoretical density.

[0030] The absorption rod assembly 4 includes an end plug 41 , a cladding 42 and an absorbent material 43 , and has the same structure as the target barrel assembly 3 . For the absorbent material 43 that does not require the cladding 42 , the absorbent material 43 can be directly made into a cylindrical shape and installed on the end plug 41 .

[0031] The connecting rod 1 passes through the center of the end plate 2, and the end plate 2 and the connecting rod 1 are connected to each other by welding and threading.

[0032] The target barrel assembly 3 or the absorption rod assembly 4 and the end plate 2 are connected to each other by welding, threaded connection and snap-on connection.

[0033] A steel wire rope 11 is provided at the head of the connecting rod 1 , and the connecting rod 1 is connected to an upper positioning mechanism through the steel wire rope 11 to position the target.

[0034] The targets are stacked on top of each other to form a larger target.

[0035] There are two positions in the heavy water reactor, namely the guide tube and the observation channel, where the target for producing C-14 isotopes in the heavy water reactor of the present invention can be placed for irradiation to produce C-14 isotopes. In order to enable the target tube assembly 3 or the absorption rod assembly 4 to be placed in these two positions, different positioning and connecting structures are required to form the target according to the structure design of different positions. The schemes for the two positions are introduced respectively below.

[0036] (1) Guide cylinder

[0037] A regulating rod assembly is placed in the guide tube of a heavy water reactor, which can be used to absorb neutrons to regulate the reactivity of the core. This requires that the target placed in this position can produce C-14 isotopes while also realizing the function of the regulating rod assembly. There are two specific solutions:

[0038] Embodiment 1:

[0039] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the target for heavy water reactor production of C-14 isotopes of the present invention is composed of a target barrel assembly 3 or an absorber rod assembly 4, an end plate 2, a connecting rod 1 and a steel wire rope 11. The target barrel assembly 3 or the absorber rod assembly 4 is arranged in a circular ring around the connecting rod 1, and the arrangement position is fixed by the upper and lower end plates 2. The target barrel assembly 3 or the absorber rod assembly 4 can be connected to the end plate 2 by welding, threaded connection, snap-on connection and other methods. The number of target barrel assemblies 3 or absorber rod assemblies 4 is determined according to the C-14 production demand and the reactivity requirements of the target. At the position where reactivity adjustment is not required, only the target barrel assembly 3 can be loaded without the absorber rod assembly 4. The connecting rod 1 passes through the center of the end plate 2, and the end plate 2 and the connecting rod 1 can be connected by welding, threading and other methods. The upper end of the connecting rod 1 can be installed with a steel wire rope 11 to connect with the upper positioning mechanism, or it can be directly connected with the positioning mechanism through the connecting rod 1 without installation.

[0040] The target barrel assembly 3 has a structure as follows: Figure 2 As shown, it is composed of a cladding 31, an end plug 32 and a target material 33. The cladding 31 and the two end plugs 32 are welded to form a sealed chamber, and the target material 33 is encapsulated in the chamber.

[0041] The structure of the absorption rod assembly 4 is as follows Figure 3 As shown, similar to the target barrel assembly 3, it includes an end plug 41, a cladding 42 and an absorbent material 43. For the absorbent material 43 that does not require the cladding 42, it can be directly made into a cylindrical shape and installed on the end plug 41.

[0042] The target components for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to the present invention can be connected in series to form a long rod bundle consisting of multiple rod bundles. (See Figure 4 )

[0043] Embodiment 2:

[0044] like Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, in this embodiment, the target barrel assembly 3 is composed of a cladding 34, a cladding 35 and two end plates 36 to form a sealed space, and the target material 37 is encapsulated inside to form an annular target barrel assembly 3; the absorption rod assembly 4 is composed of a cladding 44, a cladding 45 and two end plates 46 to form a sealed space, and the absorbent material 47 is encapsulated inside to form an annular absorption rod assembly 4. The annular target barrel assembly 3 and the annular absorption rod assembly 4 are arranged concentrically and connected by ribs 12. The connecting rod 1 is installed in the center of the inner ring, and the connecting rod 1 and the end plate 2 can be connected by welding, threading, etc. By adjusting the size, the positions of the annular target barrel assembly 3 and the annular absorption rod assembly 4 can be interchanged. According to the needs of reactivity adjustment, the annular absorption rod assembly 4 can also be omitted, and the annular target barrel assembly 3 is directly connected to the connecting rod 1 through the ribs 12.

[0045] like Figure 7 As shown, the target components for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to the present invention can be connected in series to form a long rod bundle consisting of multiple rod bundles.

[0046] (2) Observation hole

[0047] The heavy water reactor comprises two observation holes for observing the core during loading and replacement of materials. The target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to the present invention can also be placed in the two observation holes for producing C-14 isotopes. The target placed in this position does not need to have the function of adjusting the rod assembly, and does not need to be provided with an absorption rod assembly.

[0048] Embodiment 3:

[0049] like Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, its overall structure is similar to that of embodiments 1 and 2, but does not include an absorption rod assembly.

[0050] The above shows and describes the basic principles and main features of the present invention and the advantages of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the above embodiments and descriptions are only for explaining the principles of the present invention. Without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, the present invention may have various changes and improvements, which fall within the scope of the present invention to be protected, and the scope of the present invention to be protected is defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor, characterized in that: It comprises a connecting rod and an end plate, a target barrel assembly or an absorption rod assembly is arranged around the connecting rod, and the upper and lower ends of the target barrel assembly or the absorption rod assembly are fixed by the end plate at the arrangement position, the connecting rod is connected to the upper positioning mechanism and positions the target, the target barrel assembly comprises a cladding, an end plug and a target material, the cladding and the end plug are welded to form a sealed chamber, and the target material is encapsulated in the sealed chamber; A connecting rod is installed at the center of the inner ring, and the connecting rod is connected to the end plate by welding and threading. By adjusting the size, the position of the annular target barrel assembly or the annular absorption rod assembly can be interchanged. According to the need of reactivity adjustment, the annular absorption rod assembly may not be set, and the annular target barrel assembly is directly connected to the connecting rod through ribs; the targets are stacked on each other to form a larger target, and the targets are stacked on each other to form a larger target by connecting the targets in series to form a long rod bundle composed of multiple rod bundles.

2. The target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The absorbent rod assembly comprises an end plug and an absorbent material, wherein the absorbent material is cylindrical and arranged on the end plug.

3. The target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to claim 2, characterized in that: A shell is arranged outside the absorbent material.

4. The target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target barrel assembly comprises an inner ring shell, an outer ring shell and an end plate, wherein the inner ring shell, the outer ring shell and the end plate constitute a sealed cavity, and a target material is encapsulated in the sealed cavity.

5. The target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The absorber rod assembly comprises an inner ring shell, an outer ring shell and an end plate, wherein the inner ring shell, the outer ring shell and the end plate form a sealed cavity, and an absorber material is encapsulated in the sealed cavity.

6. The target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The connecting rod passes through the center of the end plate, and the end plate and the connecting rod are connected to each other by welding and threading.

7. The target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target barrel assembly or the absorption rod assembly and the end plate are connected to each other by means of welding, threaded connection and snap-on connection.

8. The target for producing C-14 isotopes in a heavy water reactor according to claim 1, characterized in that: The head of the connecting rod is provided with a steel wire rope, and the connecting rod is connected to the upper positioning mechanism through the steel wire rope to position the target.

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