Compact renewable rotary lithium target system

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of metal lithium target materials, in particular to a compact type renewable rotary lithium target system which comprises a target body supporting shell system, a rotary target body, a transmission system, a cooling and cleaning system, a protective gas supply system, a liquid collecting tank and a portable evaporation system. The rotating target body is arranged in the target body supporting shell system, the transmission system is in transmission connection with the rotating target body to drive the rotating target body to rotate, and the protective gas supply system is communicated with the target body supporting shell system to input protective gas to maintain a vacuum environment. The cooling and cleaning system is used for supplying a refrigerant to the rotating target body and supplying a cleaning agent to the target body supporting shell system, the liquid collecting tank is arranged at the bottom end of the target body supporting shell system and used for recycling waste liquid, and the portable evaporation system is arranged below the target body and used for conducting evaporation on the rotating target body. The evaporation function module, the cleaning function module and the cooling function module which are integrated are arranged, the operability is high, the maintainability is high, and the overall structure is compact.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of metallic lithium target materials, and in particular to a compact regenerable rotating lithium target system. Background Art

[0002] Radiotherapy is highly regarded in cancer treatment and other fields. In particular, neutron capture therapy (NCT) has attracted attention because it has the potential for selective treatment at the cell level in principle. In NCT, stable isotopes with a high capture cross section for neutrons are introduced into cancer cells in advance, and neutrons react with them to produce heavy ions with a short range and high LET (Linear Energy Transfer), which kill cancer cells and have little effect on normal cells. Currently, NCT uses B, Gd and thermal neutrons or epithermal neutrons for cancer treatment.

[0003] In recent years, neutron generators that accelerate protons to a specified energy and irradiate specific targets to produce neutrons have attracted attention because they can be used in hospitals. Neutron generators based on accelerators are simple in equipment and have low operating costs, and are an important means of future tumor treatment. The target materials of neutron generators are mainly lithium from the Li(p, n)Be reaction and beryllium from the Be(p, n) reaction. In particular, as the use time of the target increases, impurities will appear in the target due to irradiation, resulting in reduced neutron generation performance. Therefore, the traditional solid neutron lithium target generation target is a consumable and needs to be replaced after a period of time. The target material needs to be replaced regularly, which increases the cost of production, manufacturing, and processing. In addition, the traditional lithium target structure is large, clumsy, and has average performance. Therefore, a compact lithium target structure is required in the design, manufacturing, transportation, installation, structure, and performance of the lithium target. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings, the present invention aims to provide a technical solution that can solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] A compact renewable rotating lithium target system comprises a target support shell system, a rotating target, a transmission system, a cooling and cleaning system, a protective gas supply system, a liquid collecting tank and a portable evaporation system; the rotating target is arranged in the target support shell system, the transmission system is connected to the rotating target to drive the rotating target to rotate, the protective gas supply system is connected to the target support shell system to input protective gas to maintain a vacuum environment, the cooling and cleaning system is used to supply refrigerant to the rotating target and cleaning agent to the target support shell system, the liquid collecting tank is arranged at the bottom end of the target support shell system for recovering waste liquid, and the portable evaporation system is arranged below the rotating target for evaporating the rotating target.

[0006] As a further solution of the present invention: the target support shell system includes a target shell, a rotating dynamic seal and a rotating joint. The rotating target body is arranged in the target shell. The rotating target body is a rotating body. A heat dissipation return path is provided in the rotating target body. A transmission member extending out of the target shell is provided on the end face of the rotating target body. The transmission member is connected to the rotating joint through a rotating dynamic seal. An inlet and outlet water circulation part is provided on the rotating joint. The cooling and cleaning system is connected to the inlet and outlet water circulation part to supply or recover refrigerant to the heat dissipation return path.

[0007] As a further solution of the present invention: the transmission system includes a servo drive, a planetary reduction member and a transmission gear train assembly, the output end of the servo drive is connected to the input end of the planetary reduction member, and the output end of the planetary reduction member is connected to the transmission member through the transmission gear train assembly.

[0008] As a further solution of the present invention: the cooling and cleaning system includes a liquid storage component, a pump group, a first three-way component, a second three-way component, a cooling water circulation pipeline, a cleaning water inlet pipe and a feed pipe. The inlet and outlet water circulation parts are connected to the liquid storage component and the pump group through the cooling water circulation pipeline, the cleaning water inlet pipe is connected to the cooling water circulation pipeline through the first three-way component, the feed pipe is connected to the cleaning water inlet pipe through the second three-way component, and the target shell is connected to the feed pipe.

[0009] As a further solution of the present invention: the shielding gas supply system includes a shielding gas tank and a shielding gas input pipe, and the shielding gas tank is connected to the second three-way piece through the shielding gas input pipe.

[0010] As a further solution of the present invention: the portable evaporation system includes a crucible, an evaporation pool, a pull cover, an adjusting screw, a handle and a lever arm, the evaporation pool is arranged in the crucible, the pull cover is arranged at one end of the crucible, a mechanical connection flange is provided on the liquid collecting tank, the crucible passes through the mechanical connection flange and extends into the liquid collecting tank, the pull cover closes the central opening of the mechanical connection flange, a threaded hole is provided on the lever arm, the adjusting screw is passed through the threaded hole, two clamping columns are symmetrically arranged on the end face of the mechanical connection flange, and clamping grooves matching the clamping columns are provided at both ends of the lever arm, and the opening directions of the two clamping grooves are opposite, one end of the adjusting screw is connected to the pull cover, and the other end of the adjusting screw is connected to the handle.

[0011] As a further solution of the present invention: the inner wall of the target shell is provided with a plurality of nozzles communicated with the feed pipe.

[0012] As a further solution of the present invention: a film thickness measurement system is provided on the target shell, and the film thickness measurement system is used to detect the coating thickness of the rotating target body.

[0013] As a further solution of the present invention: the bottom of the liquid collecting tank is inclined and connected to a waste liquid disposal system.

[0014] As a further solution of the present invention: a vacuum gauge is provided in the target shell.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0016] 1. The present invention has strong operability, high maintainability and compact overall structure by providing an integrated evaporation function module, a cleaning function module and a cooling function module.

[0017] 2. By setting up a rotating target body with a rotating body structure, it has an automatic rotation function, which can increase the surface area of ​​the target material being irradiated through its own rotation, thereby reducing the heat flux density per unit volume of the target material, improving the heat exchange efficiency of the rotating target body, and making it easy to deal with abnormal working conditions.

[0018] 3. The entire rotating lithium target structure adopts a cantilever structure. The rotating dynamic seal serves as a dynamic seal and also as the main support. The coating area and heat dissipation channel adopt an integrated design with a compact and reasonable structure.

[0019] 4. It has the function of automatic evaporation, which can regularly perform evaporation on the whole or part of the lithium target to replenish the target material and ensure the neutron production capacity of the rotating target.

[0020] 5. Equipped with a cooling and cleaning system with adjustable flow, temperature and pressure, and with automatic cleaning function, it can regularly remove waste impurities remaining on the rotating target while ensuring efficient cooling of the rotating target.

[0021] 6. It has real-time monitoring function. The film thickness monitor can monitor the target material thickness in real time, which is convenient for controlling the evaporation conditions of the rotating target. The consistency, uniformity and film thickness accuracy of the lithium plating layer can be controlled in real time.

[0022] 7. The transmission system adopts high-precision absolute servo drive components and low backlash planetary reducer to drive at a uniform speed, and the lithium layer is uniform and controllable.

[0023] 8. The vacuum gauge can dynamically and real-time feedback the vacuum degree inside the target shell.

[0024] 9. The portable vapor deposition system adopts a detachable design and can be quickly disassembled and replaced.

[0025] 10. The overall device is mostly composed of common flange, shaft, plate, box parts, and small size, which reduces the complexity of the parts structure and facilitates assembly.

[0026] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be given in part in the following description and in part will be obvious from the following description, or will be learned through practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative labor.

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the target shell part structure of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of the driving wheel part of the present invention.

[0031] Figure 4 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the liquid storage component of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 5 It is another structural schematic diagram of the liquid storage part of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 6 It is another structural schematic diagram of the target shell part of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 7 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the liquid collecting tank of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 8 It is a partial structural schematic diagram of the crucible of the present invention.

[0036] In the figure: 1. target support shell system, 2. rotating target, 3. transmission system, 4. cooling and cleaning system, 5. protective gas supply system, 6. liquid collecting tank, 7. portable evaporation system, 8. film thickness measurement system, 9. waste liquid disposal system, 11. target shell, 12. rotating dynamic seal, 13. rotating joint, 14. water inlet, 15. water outlet, 21. transmission parts, 31. servo drive parts, 32. planetary reduction parts, 33. driving wheel, 34. Driven wheel, 35. Synchronous transmission chain, 41. Liquid storage part, 42. Pump group, 43. First three-way part, 44. Second three-way part, 45. Cleaning water inlet pipe, 46. Cooling water inlet pipe, 47. Cooling water return pipe, 51. Protective gas tank, 52. Protective gas input pipe, 61. Mechanical connection flange, 62. Clamping column, 71. Crucible, 72. Evaporation pool, 73. Pull cover, 74. Adjusting screw, 75. Handle, 76. Lever, 77. Slot. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are described clearly and completely below. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0038] See also Figures 1 to 8 In an embodiment of the present invention, a compact renewable rotating lithium target system includes a target support shell system 1, a rotating target 2, a transmission system 3, a cooling and cleaning system 4, a protective gas supply system 5, a liquid collecting tank 6 and a portable evaporation system 7; the rotating target 2 is arranged in the target support shell system 1, the transmission system 3 is connected to the rotating target 2 to drive the rotating target 2 to rotate, the protective gas supply system 5 is connected to the target support shell system 1 to input protective gas to maintain a vacuum environment, the cooling and cleaning system 4 is used to supply refrigerant to the rotating target 2 and cleaning agent to the target support shell system 1, the liquid collecting tank 6 is arranged at the bottom end of the target support shell system 1 for recovering waste liquid, and the portable evaporation system 7 is arranged in the rotating target 2 for evaporating the rotating target 2.

[0039] It should be noted that the target support shell system 1 is used to carry the rotating target 2 and provide a working environment for it; the rotating target 2 generates neutrons after being irradiated by a proton beam; the portable evaporation system 7 is used to evaporate the rotating target 2 and provide regenerated target material for the rotating target 2; the transmission system 3 provides kinetic energy for the rotating target 2 and drives the rotating target 2 to rotate, so that it has an automatic rotation function; the cooling and cleaning system 4 is used to clean the waste target material generated by the rotating target 2 and complete the heat exchange and cooling work inside the rotating target 2; the protective gas supply system 5 is used to transport protective gas to maintain the vacuum environment inside the target support shell system 1.

[0040] The target support shell system 1 includes a target shell 11, a rotating dynamic seal 12 and a rotating joint 13. The rotating target body 2 is arranged in the target shell 11. The rotating target body 2 is a rotating body. A heat dissipation return path is provided in the rotating target body 2. The end surface of the rotating target body 2 is provided with a transmission member 21 extending out of the target shell 11. The transmission member 21 is connected to the rotating joint 13 through the rotating dynamic seal 12. An inlet and outlet water circulation part is provided on the rotating joint 13. The cooling and cleaning system 4 is connected to the inlet and outlet water circulation part to supply or recover refrigerant to the heat dissipation return path.

[0041] It should be noted that the inlet and outlet water circulation part includes a water inlet 14 and a water outlet 15, the water outlet end of the cooling and cleaning system 4 is connected to the water inlet 14, and the return water end of the cooling and cleaning system 4 is connected to the water outlet 15. The cooling and cleaning system 4 supplies refrigerant to the heat dissipation return path through the water inlet 14 and recovers the refrigerant through the water outlet 15. In this way, the refrigerant is connected during the irradiation process to remove the internal heat deposited when the rotating target 2 is running.

[0042] The transmission system 3 includes a servo driver 31 , a planetary reduction member 32 and a transmission gear train assembly. The output end of the servo driver 31 is connected to the input end of the planetary reduction member 32 , and the output end of the planetary reduction member 32 is connected to the transmission member 21 through the transmission gear train assembly.

[0043] It should be noted that the transmission wheel train assembly includes a driving wheel 33, a driven wheel 34 and a synchronous transmission chain 35. The output end of the planetary reduction member 32 is connected to the driving wheel 33, the driven wheel 34 is arranged on the transmission member 21, and the synchronous transmission chain 35 is sleeved on the driven wheel 34 and the driving wheel 33. In this way, the driving wheel 33 rotates under the drive of the servo drive member 31, and the driven wheel 34 is driven to rotate through the synchronous transmission chain 35. The rotation of the driven wheel 34 drives the transmission member 21 to rotate, thereby driving the rotating target body 2 to rotate, thereby satisfying the self-rotation function of the rotating target body 2.

[0044] The cooling and cleaning system 4 includes a liquid storage component 41, a pump group 42, a first three-way component 43, a second three-way component 44, a cooling water circulation pipeline, a cleaning water inlet pipe 45 and a feed pipe. The inlet and outlet water circulation parts are connected to the liquid storage component 41 and the pump group 42 through the cooling water circulation pipeline, the cleaning water inlet pipe 45 is connected to the cooling water circulation pipeline through the first three-way component 43, the feed pipe is connected to the cleaning water inlet pipe 45 through the second three-way component 44, and the target shell 11 is connected to the feed pipe.

[0045] It should be noted that the cooling water circulation pipeline includes a cooling water inlet pipe 46 and a cooling water return pipe 47. The water inlet end of the liquid storage component 41 is connected to the water outlet 15 through the cooling water return pipe 47, the water inlet end of the pump group 42 is connected to the water outlet end of the liquid storage component 41, the first port of the first three-way component 43 is connected to the water outlet end of the pump group 42, the second end of the first three-way component 43 is connected to the water inlet 14 through the cooling water inlet pipe 46, the third end of the first three-way component 43 is connected to the first end of the second three-way component 44 through the cleaning water inlet pipe 45, and the second end of the second three-way component 44 is connected to the top of the target shell 11 through the feed pipe. In this way, during the irradiation process, the pump group 42 draws liquid from the liquid storage component 41 as a coolant and supplies refrigerant to the heat dissipation return through the cooling water inlet pipe 46. During the cleaning process, the pump group 42 draws liquid from the liquid storage component 41 as a cleaning agent and supplies cleaning agent to the target shell 11 through the cleaning water inlet pipe 45.

[0046] The protective gas supply system 5 includes a protective gas tank 51 and a protective gas input pipe 52. The protective gas tank 51 is connected to the second three-way piece 44 through the protective gas input pipe 52. When an abnormal situation occurs, protective gas is input into the target shell 11 through the protective gas input pipe 52 to maintain the vacuum environment in the target shell 11.

[0047] The portable evaporation system 7 includes a crucible 71, an evaporation pool 72, a pull cover 73, an adjusting screw 74, a handle 75 and a lever arm 76. The evaporation pool 72 is arranged in the crucible 71, the pull cover 73 is arranged at one end of the crucible 71, a mechanical connection flange 61 is arranged on the liquid collecting tank 6, the crucible 71 passes through the mechanical connection flange 61 and extends into the liquid collecting tank 6, the pull cover 73 closes the central opening of the mechanical connection flange 61, a threaded hole is opened on the lever arm 76, the adjusting screw 74 is passed through the threaded hole, two clamping columns 62 are symmetrically arranged on the end surface of the mechanical connection flange 61, and the lever arm Both ends of 76 are provided with card slots 77 that cooperate with the card column 62, and the opening directions of the two card slots 77 are opposite. One end of the adjusting screw 74 is connected to the pull cover 73, and the other end of the adjusting screw 74 is connected to the handle 75. During use, the adjusting screw 74 can be driven to rotate by rotating the handle 75, thereby driving the crucible 71 to move and adjust the position of the evaporation pool 72. The portable evaporation system 7 adopts a detachable design. During use, the power arm 76 can be rotated to make the card slot 77 disengage from the card column 62, so that the portable evaporation system 7 can be taken out as a whole, and quick disassembly and replacement can be achieved.

[0048] The inner wall of the target shell 11 is provided with a plurality of nozzles connected to the feed pipe, and the nozzles have angle adjustment function and atomization function, and can adjust the flow rate. The rotating target body 2 will produce impurities after a period of beam irradiation, so it takes a period of time to clean the rotating target body 2. When cleaning the rotating target body 2, the target shell 11 is formed into a sealed environment, and the rotation speed of the rotating target body 2 is set at 1RPM to 100RPM, and the rotating target body 2 is kept rotating. At the same time, the nozzles at different positions spray the cleaning agent spray, and the spray continuously corrodes the target material, and dissolves its oxide in the spray liquid, and finally flows into the collecting tank 6.

[0049] The target shell 11 is provided with a film thickness measuring system 8, which is used to detect the coating thickness of the rotating target body 2 and monitor the thickness of the regenerated target material on the surface of the rotating target body 2 during the evaporation operation so as to control and meet the parameter requirements.

[0050] The bottom of the liquid collecting tank 6 is tilted and connected to a waste liquid disposal system 9, so that waste liquid can flow into the bottom of the liquid collecting tank 6 and then flow out after being processed by the waste liquid disposal system 9.

[0051] A vacuum gauge is provided in the target shell 11 , and the vacuum gauge can dynamically and real-timely feedback the vacuum degree in the target shell 11 .

[0052] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered exemplary and non-restrictive in all respects, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the above description, and it is intended that all changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalent elements of the claims be included in the present invention.

Claims

1. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system, characterized in that: It includes a target support shell system, a rotating target, a transmission system, a cooling and cleaning system, a protective gas supply system, a liquid collecting tank and a portable evaporation system; The rotating target is arranged in the target support shell system, the transmission system is connected to the rotating target to drive the rotating target to rotate, the protective gas supply system is connected to the target support shell system to input protective gas to maintain a vacuum environment, the cooling and cleaning system is used to supply refrigerant to the rotating target and cleaning agent to the target support shell system, the liquid collecting tank is arranged at the bottom of the target support shell system for recovering waste liquid, and the portable evaporation system is arranged under the rotating target for evaporating the rotating target.

2. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target support shell system includes a target shell, a rotating dynamic seal and a rotating joint. The rotating target body is arranged in the target shell. The rotating target body is a rotating body. A heat dissipation return path is provided in the rotating target body. A transmission member extending out of the target shell is provided on the end face of the rotating target body. The transmission member is connected to the rotating joint through a rotating dynamic seal. An inlet and outlet water circulation part is provided on the rotating joint. The cooling and cleaning system is connected to the inlet and outlet water circulation part to supply or recover refrigerant to the heat dissipation return path.

3. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transmission system includes a servo drive, a planetary reduction member and a transmission gear train assembly. The output end of the servo drive is connected to the input end of the planetary reduction member, and the output end of the planetary reduction member is connected to the transmission member through the transmission gear train assembly.

4. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The cooling and cleaning system includes a liquid storage component, a pump group, a first tee component, a second tee component, a cooling water circulation pipeline, a cleaning water inlet pipe and a feed pipe. The inlet and outlet water circulation parts are connected with the liquid storage component and the pump group through the cooling water circulation pipeline, the cleaning water inlet pipe is connected with the cooling water circulation pipeline through the first tee component, the feed pipe is connected with the cleaning water inlet pipe through the second tee component, and the target shell is connected with the feed pipe.

5. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The protective gas supply system comprises a protective gas tank and a protective gas input pipe, and the protective gas tank is connected with the second three-way piece through the protective gas input pipe.

6. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The portable evaporation system includes a crucible, an evaporation pool, a pull cover, an adjusting screw, a handle and a lever arm. The evaporation pool is arranged in the crucible, the pull cover is arranged at one end of the crucible, a mechanical connection flange is arranged on the liquid collecting tank, the crucible extends into the liquid collecting tank through the mechanical connection flange, the pull cover closes the central opening of the mechanical connection flange, a threaded hole is arranged on the lever arm, the adjusting screw is passed through the threaded hole, two clamping columns are symmetrically arranged on the end surface of the mechanical connection flange, and clamping grooves matching with the clamping columns are arranged at both ends of the lever arm, and the opening directions of the two clamping grooves are opposite. One end of the adjusting screw is connected to the pull cover, and the other end of the adjusting screw is connected to the handle.

7. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner wall of the target shell is provided with a plurality of nozzles which are communicated with the feed pipe.

8. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target shell is provided with a film thickness measuring system, which is used to detect the coating thickness of the rotating target body.

9. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the liquid collecting tank is inclined and connected to a waste liquid disposal system.

10. A compact regenerable rotating lithium target system according to claim 1, characterized in that: A vacuum gauge is provided inside the target shell.

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