Radioactive nuclide separation device and fluid recovery method using the same

Abstract

The present invention provides a radioactive nuclide separation device and a fluid recovery method using the same. [Solution] The radionuclide separation apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for separating a desired radionuclide, and may include: a fluid supply unit for supplying a fluid containing a sample or reagent containing a radionuclide; a column separation unit including a drive member flow path for receiving the fluid supplied from the fluid supply unit, separating the radionuclide, and discharging the fluid from which the radionuclide has been separated; a fluid recovery unit including a plurality of recovery containers for recovering the fluid that has passed through the column separation unit and been discharged; a sensor for sensing the fluid in the column separation unit; and a control unit that controls the driving of the fluid supply unit, the column separation unit and the fluid recovery unit so that after residual fluid remaining inside the drive member flow path is recovered into the recovery container, the recovery container located at the recovery position is changed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention relates to a radionuclide separation device and a fluid recovery method using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Of the radioactive nuclides present in radioactive waste, those that emit gamma rays can be easily measured non-destructively. However, nuclides that emit alpha rays, beta rays, and low-energy gamma rays are difficult to measure directly due to the high self-absorption of alpha particles and the low energy resolution of beta spectra, and therefore must be separated individually from the medium element.

[0003] Column chromatography-based concentration, separation, and purification techniques are widely used for the chemical separation of radionuclides. Generally, separating a radionuclide of interest from various elemental media contained in a single sample requires a multi-step process including initialization, sample loading, purification, elution, and washing. In each step, the sample, which has been dissolved through a pretreatment process, or the reagents required for the separation process, is placed in a resin column tailored to the characteristics of the radionuclide to be separated and passed through at a constant flow rate. Through this process, interfering substances are removed, and the radionuclide is either adsorbed and separated from the fluid, or the adsorbed radionuclide is desorbed, allowing the sample or reagent to be recovered.

[0004] The recovery rate, a key performance indicator of such radionuclide separation processes, varies depending on the physicochemical properties of the resin and the flow of the sample passing through the column. Traditional gravity separation methods cannot control the flow, and the entire process is performed manually, requiring a great deal of time and labor.

[0005] Therefore, there is a need for a method that can easily control the flow, respond quickly to each process, rapidly and accurately discharge and recover the fluid sequentially discharged in the separation process, and increase the fluid recovery rate at each process. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0007] The present invention aims to provide a radionuclide separation device capable of quickly and accurately collecting fluids sequentially discharged during the radionuclide separation process, and a fluid collection method using the same, in order to solve the above problems.

[0008] Also, it aims to provide a radionuclide separation device capable of increasing the fluid collection rate, and a fluid collection method using the same.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] A radionuclide separation device according to an embodiment of the present invention is a device for separating a desired radionuclide, comprising: a fluid supply unit for supplying a fluid containing a sample or reagent containing a radionuclide; a column separation unit including a driving member flow path through which the fluid supplied from the fluid supply unit is transmitted to separate the radionuclide and discharge the fluid from which the radionuclide has been separated; a fluid collection unit including a plurality of collection containers for collecting the fluid discharged through the column separation unit; a sensor for sensing the fluid within the column separation unit; and a control unit for controlling the driving of the fluid supply unit, the column separation unit, and the fluid collection unit such that the collection container located at the collection position is changed after the residual fluid remaining inside the driving member flow path is collected into the collection container. is included.

Effects of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, fluids sequentially discharged during the radionuclide separation process can be quickly and accurately collected. Also, according to the present invention, the fluid collection rate can be increased.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0011] [Figure 1] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the radionuclide separation device according to the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure shows the column separation section, sensor, and control section of the radionuclide separation apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This is a sequence diagram showing the overall process of the radionuclide separation procedure. [Figure 4] This is a sequence diagram illustrating a fluid recovery method using a radionuclide separation device according to the present invention. [Figure 5] This figure schematically shows some of the steps in the fluid recovery method shown in Figure 4. [Figure 6] This figure schematically shows some of the other steps in the fluid recovery method shown in Figure 4. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to illustrative drawings. When assigning reference numerals to the components in each drawing, care should be taken to ensure that identical components have the same reference numerals whenever possible, even if they are shown in other drawings. Furthermore, when describing embodiments of the present invention, if a specific description of a related known configuration or function is deemed to interfere with understanding the embodiments of the present invention, such a detailed description will be omitted.

[0013] Furthermore, when describing the components of the embodiments of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc., may be used. Such terms are used to distinguish a component from other components, and do not limit the nature, order, or sequence of the component. When it is stated that a component is “connected,” “joined,” or “connected” to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly connected to or connected to the other components, but may also be further “connected,” “joined,” or “connected” to other components between each component.

[0014] In this specification, the front-back, left-right, and up-down directions are designated for the sake of clarity and may be directions perpendicular to each other.

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the radionuclide separation apparatus 1 according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a diagram showing the column separation unit 20, sensor 40, and control unit 50 of the radionuclide separation apparatus 1 of Figure 1. The radionuclide separation apparatus 1 according to the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2.

[0016] The radionuclide separation apparatus 1 according to the present invention may be understood as an apparatus that uses reagents to purify elements that interfere or cause disruption during radioactivity measurement from a radioactive waste solution sample containing various chemical elements, and efficiently separates and recovers the fluid containing the desired radionuclide.

[0017] Specifically, the radionuclide separation apparatus 1 according to the present invention can separate and recover only the radionuclides to be recovered through a process of adsorbing and desorbing radionuclides contained in a fluid. In other words, the purpose of the radionuclide separation apparatus 1 is to remove unwanted radionuclides and other components and purify and recover the desired radionuclides. In this case, one radionuclide to be recovered can be separated and recovered individually, or the radionuclides to be recovered may be separated in various ways. In some cases, a fluid containing all of these elements can be recovered as a single group.

[0018] However, the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be understood as an apparatus for efficiently separating and recovering fluids containing desired components from fluids containing undesirable components in a column chromatography process for separating or purifying various chemical components in a general mixture.

[0019] Specifically, the radionuclide separation apparatus 1 according to the present invention can control column flow by utilizing a fluid-sensing sensor 40. This has the advantage of increasing the recovery rate because the sequentially discharged fluid can be quickly and accurately separated and recovered, and the residual fluid remaining inside the drive member flow path 24 is recovered into an appropriate recovery container 31.

[0020] The radionuclide separation apparatus 1 includes a fluid supply unit 10 for supplying fluids such as a sample containing radionuclides or reagents necessary for the radionuclide separation process; a column separation unit 20 including a drive member flow path 24 for receiving the fluid supplied from the fluid supply unit 10 to separate or purify radionuclides and for discharging the fluid from which the radionuclides have been separated or purified; a fluid recovery unit 30 including a plurality of recovery containers 31 for separating and recovering the fluid that has passed through the column separation unit 20 and been discharged; a sensor 40 for sensing the fluid in the column separation unit 20; and a control unit 50 for controlling the operation of the fluid supply unit 10, the column separation unit 20, and the fluid recovery unit 30 so that after residual fluid remaining inside the drive member flow path 24 is recovered into the recovery containers 31, the recovery container 31 located in the recovery position is changed.

[0021] The fluid supply unit 10 can sequentially supply the column separation unit 20 with a fluid containing a sample containing radionuclides dissolved through a separate pretreatment process and various reagents. Specifically, the fluid can be understood to contain all of the sample containing the desired radionuclides and the reagents necessary for the radionuclide separation process. The sample or reagents supplied may change according to the radionuclide separation process.

[0022] The supplied fluid may be contained in different types of supply containers 11 depending on their radionuclide separation characteristics. For this purpose, the fluid supply unit 10 may be provided with multiple supply containers 11. Figure 1 shows an example where three supply containers 11 are provided, but the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0023] The fluid supply unit 10 may include a supply pump 12 that generates power to transfer the fluid contained in the supply container 11. The supply pump 12 may be provided as a variety of pumps, such as a reciprocating pump, a rotary pump, or a piston pump, but is not limited thereto.

[0024] In this embodiment, the fluid is automatically supplied via the supply pump 12 of the fluid supply unit 10 by control of the control unit 50, as an example, but the concept of the present invention is not limited to this.

[0025] For example, to reduce the possibility of cross-contamination, the fluid may be supplied to the column container 21 directly without passing through the fluid supply unit 10, or via a separate fluid supply unit (not shown) utilizing disposable syringes or disposable pipettes. Alternatively, the fluid supply unit 10 may be provided in a configuration in which the fluid is supplied manually by the user without being controlled by the control unit 50. In yet another example, the sample and reagents containing radionuclides may be supplied separately, in which case, for convenience, one or more of the two may be supplied directly to the column container 21.

[0026] Therefore, in the radionuclide separation apparatus 1 according to the present invention, controlling the fluid supply unit 10 means supplying a fixed amount of fluid, such as a sample or reagent, to the column container 2 via the fluid supply unit 10. It should be broadly understood that this includes not only active control that automatically transfers the fluid to 1, but also passive control that senses, via sensor 40, that the fluid has been supplied to the column container 21.

[0027] The column separation unit 20 includes a column container 21 in which the fluid supplied in the fluid supply stage is contained and an outlet 211 formed on one side from which the fluid is discharged, an adsorption member 22 and a filter member 23 arranged inside the column container 21 for separating radionuclides contained in the fluid, a drive member 25 that provides power to move the fluid, and a drive member flow path 24 connected to the outlet 211 of the column container 21 for discharging the fluid toward the fluid recovery unit 30.

[0028] The column separation unit 20 may be provided on one side of the fluid supply unit 10, and for example, as shown in Figure 1, it may be located below the fluid supply unit 10.

[0029] The lower part of the column vessel 21 may be filled with an adsorption member 22 selected to match the chemical properties of the radionuclide to be separated. To prevent loss of the adsorption member 22 and to prevent disturbance of the adsorption member 22 by the fluid supplied to the column vessel 21, it is preferable that filter members 23 are provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the adsorption member 22. The adsorption member 22 may be provided as, for example, an ion exchange resin or an extraction chromatography resin, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed in various ways depending on the properties of the radionuclide to be separated. The filter members 23 may also have voids of various sizes and shapes depending on the properties of the radionuclide separation process.

[0030] This invention makes it possible to recover residual fluid that inevitably occurs in a device that controls fluid flow using a sensor 40 by sequentially performing processes such as supplying new fluid, recovering residual fluid, changing the recovery container, and recovering the supplied fluid. A detailed explanation of this will be given later.

[0031] On the other hand, the drive member 25 can cause the supplied fluid to pass through the adsorption member 22 and the filter member 23 inside the column container 21, and then discharge it to the outlet 211 of the column container 21. The drive member 25 may be a fluid pump such as a gear pump, diaphragm pump, interlocking pump, or piston pump.

[0032] Figure 2 shows an example of a drive member 25 in which an interlocking pump is applied, and the drive member flow path 24 may be formed as a single flexible tube. The drive member 25 may include a rotating shaft 252 and a plurality of rollers 251 that rotate around the rotating shaft 252. As the plurality of rollers 251 rotate around the rotating shaft 252, the drive member flow path 24 can be repeatedly compressed and released to move fluid.

[0033] The drive member flow path 24 may be made of an elastic material so that its shape changes when an external force is applied and then returns to its original state when the applied external force is released. The shape of the drive member flow path 24 is temporarily changed by the pressure applied by the roller 251, generating pressure inside the drive member flow path 24, and fluid can move through a series of processes in which the pressure applied to the drive member flow path 24 is released.

[0034] The fluid recovery unit 30 may include a plurality of recovery containers 31 for separating and recovering the fluid discharged after passing through the column separation unit 20, a support member 32 for supporting the recovery containers 31, and a moving member 33 for moving the support member 32.

[0035] In this case, the moving member 33 moves the multiple collection containers 31 in a linear motion. The system may include a rotating motion stage (not shown) that rotates a support member 32 around a stage (not shown) and a fixed axis to rotate and move a plurality of collection containers 31. 31 may move linearly or rotate around a fixed axis.

[0036] The moving member 33 described above may be operated to move the recovery container 31 to the recovery position, and the recovery container 31 moved to the recovery position may collect the fluid discharged via the drive member flow path 24. In this case, the fluid may be collected in different recovery containers 31 depending on its use, and for this purpose, a plurality of recovery containers 31 may be provided in the fluid recovery unit 30. Figure 1 shows an example in which three recovery containers 31 are arranged linearly, but the concept of the present invention is not limited thereto, and different numbers of recovery containers 31 may be arranged in various ways depending on the characteristics of the radionuclide separation process and the type of radionuclide to be separated.

[0037] On the other hand, a non-contact sensor 40 may be provided on one side of the column container 21. The sensor 40 can be positioned outside the column container 21 so as not to obstruct the fluid flow. In this case, the sensor 40 may be provided as a sensor that senses the fluid contained inside the column container 21. As an example, various sensors such as optical sensors, ultrasonic sensors, radar sensors, thermal sensors, vibration sensors, electrical conductivity sensors, and capacitance sensors may be used, but the type of sensor 40 is not limited to these.

[0038] Specifically, after a certain amount of fluid is supplied to the column container 21, the drive member 25 can drive the fluid downward from inside the column container 21. This allows the fluid to pass through the adsorption member 22 and filter member 23 located in the column container 21 and then be discharged through the outlet 211. The sensor 40 is positioned above the adsorption member 22 and filter member 23 and can sense the point in time when all the fluid inside the column container 21 has flowed into the adsorption member 22 and filter member 23. In other words, the sensor 40 can sense the point in time when there is no more fluid remaining above the adsorption member 22 and filter member 23 inside the column container 21.

[0039] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the control unit 50 can generate, edit, and load process information or control information necessary for the radionuclide separation process, and can control the driving of the fluid supply unit 10, the column separation unit 20, and the fluid recovery unit 30 based on the information sensed by the sensor 40.

[0040] For this purpose, the control unit 50 may be input with the type and volume of the supplied reagent for controlling each stage of the radionuclide separation process, the position of the recovery container 31, and the internal volume value of the drive member flow path 24. The control unit 50 can control the driving time of the drive member 25 for recovering the residual fluid remaining inside the drive member flow path 24 according to the input internal volume value of the drive member flow path 24.

[0041] Specifically, after the sensor 40 detects that fluid has been supplied to the column container 21, the control unit 50 can drive the drive member 25 to recover the residual fluid. At this time, the drive member 25 can operate for a recovery time corresponding to the internal volume value of the drive member flow path 24. Subsequently, the control unit 50 can drive the fluid recovery unit 30 to change the recovery container 31. After that, the control unit 50 can drive the drive member 25 so that the supplied fluid is recovered into the changed recovery container 31. At this time, the control unit 50 can control the drive member 25 so that it is driven until the point when the sensor 40 detects the fluid. Specifically, the drive member 25 can be driven until the point when the sensor 40 detects that all the fluid inside the column container 21 has flowed into the adsorption member 22 and the filter member 23. After that, the control unit 50 can control the fluid supply unit 10 so that new fluid is supplied to the column container 21. After the new fluid is supplied to the column container 21, the control unit 50 can drive the drive member 25 again to recover the residual fluid. The control unit 50 controls the fluid supply unit 10 and the fluid supply unit 10 so that this process is repeated. The drive of the column separation unit 20 and the fluid recovery unit 30 can be controlled.

[0042] On the other hand, controlling the drive time has complex implications. For example, as shown in Figure 2, when an interlocking pump is used as the drive member 25, the drive member flow path 24 may be composed of a flexible tube. A pulse drive method can be applied to rotate the interlocking pump, in which case the pump can rotate by an angle corresponding to each pulse. In this case, the higher the frequency of the pulse train, the faster the pump can rotate. Therefore, the volume of fluid transferred through the drive member 25 increases as the number of control pulses increases, or as the drive time increases for pulse trains of a particular frequency. However, in both cases, the increase in drive time and the volume of fluid transferred are proportional, so controlling the drive time must be understood as encompassing both directly controlling the time the pulses are applied and controlling the number of pulses.

[0043] Figure 3 is a sequence diagram showing the overall process of the radionuclide separation process. Referring to Figure 3, the process by which the radionuclide separation apparatus 1 performs the multi-stage radionuclide separation process can be divided into the initialization stage (S1), the sample loading stage (S2), the purification stage (S3), the elution stage (S4), and the washing stage (S5).

[0044] First, in the initialization stage (conditioning, S1), the initialization reagent can be supplied to the column container 21 via the fluid supply unit 10. The initialization reagent that has passed through the column separation unit 20 can be recovered in the recovery container (C1). The initialization reagent used in the initialization stage (S1) refers to the reagent used to initialize the adsorption member 22.

[0045] In the sample loading stage (loading, S2), a sample containing the desired radionuclides to be separated can be supplied to the column vessel 21 directly or via the fluid supply unit 10. The fluid discharged after such a sample has passed through the column separation unit 20 and the desired radionuclides have been adsorbed onto the adsorption member 22 can be collected in the recovery container (C2).

[0046] The sample loading step (S2) is a step for adsorbing the radionuclides to be separated. However, in the sample loading step (S2), substances with chemical behaviors similar to those of the desired radionuclides may also be partially adsorbed onto the adsorption member 22. In such cases, where other components are adsorbed onto the adsorption member 22 along with the desired radionuclides, a purification step (S3) may be performed to desorb the other components from the adsorption member 22.

[0047] In the rinsing stage (S3), a purification reagent may be supplied to the column vessel 21. The purification reagent refers to a reagent used to desorb other components adsorbed in the sample loading stage (S2) from the adsorbent member 22. After the purification stage (S3) is performed, the adsorbent member 22 may be in a state where only the desired radionuclides are adsorbed. In addition, the fluid discharged after such reagents have passed through the column separation section 20 may be collected in a recovery container (C3).

[0048] In the elution stage (S4), an elution reagent may be supplied to the column vessel 21. The elution reagent refers to a reagent for desorbing the desired radionuclide from the adsorption member 22. The fluid discharged after passing through the column separation section 20 may be collected in a recovery container (C4).

[0049] In the elution step (S4), the desired radionuclide is desorbed from the adsorbent member 22 via the elution reagent, so that the fluid containing the desired radionuclide can be recovered in the recovery container (C4).

[0050] In the cleaning stage (clean-up, S5), the column container 21, adsorption member 22, drive member flow path 24, etc. can be cleaned by supplying acid or distilled water to the column container 21. The fluid discharged after passing through the column separation section 20 in the cleaning stage (S5) is collected in the recovery container (C5 It is recovered in the washing stage (S5). The radionuclide separation stage can be terminated by performing the washing stage (S5).

[0051] Multiple recovery containers 31, which recover fluids at each process stage, can separate and recover fluids containing the desired radionuclides from fluids that do not contain the desired radionuclides. Therefore, as described above, all separated fluids may be individually recovered and collected in recovery containers (C1 to C5), or, as another example, fluids that do not contain the desired radionuclides may be defined as waste liquid, and the fluids discharged in the initialization stage (S1), sample loading stage (S2), purification stage (S3), and washing stage (S5) may be recovered and collected in a single recovery container (C6).

[0052] As mentioned above, the radionuclide separation process involves adsorption and desorption processes, and the term "separation" in this specification means separating the desired radionuclides by adsorption or desorption of adsorbed substances, depending on the type of fluid supplied.

[0053] On the other hand, in order to generally increase the recovery rate of radionuclides, the above processes may be combined and carried out in multiple stages. As a result, some stages of the radionuclide separation process may be omitted or repeated, and the order may also be configured differently from that described above.

[0054] In the fluid recovery method according to the present invention, in order to further increase the recovery rate, when performing any one of the initialization step (S1), sample loading step (S2), purification step (S3), elution step (S4), and washing step (S5) shown in Figure 3, the drive member 25 can be controlled by utilizing the internal volume information of the drive member flow path 24 together with the information from the sensor 40, so that the residual fluid remaining inside the drive member flow path 24 is recovered into an appropriate recovery container 31.

[0055] In particular, in a device equipped with a drive member flow path 24 at the lower part (discharge port) of the column container 21, all of the supplied fluid can be recovered into a desired recovery container. This eliminates the influence of the internal volume of the drive member flow path 24, allowing for more accurate separation and recovery of the fluid containing the desired radionuclides.

[0056] Figure 4 is a sequence diagram showing a fluid recovery method using the radioactive nuclide separation device 1 according to the present invention, Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing some of the steps of the fluid recovery method in Figure 4, and Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing other of the steps of the fluid recovery method in Figure 4. The fluid recovery method using the radioactive nuclide separation device 1 according to the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 4 to 6.

[0057] Referring to Figure 4, the fluid recovery method using the radionuclide separation device 1 according to the present invention involves a volume input step (S10) in which the internal volume value of the drive member flow path 24 is input, and the fluid (L n+1 ) Collection container (C n+1The step of setting (S20), the fluid supply step (S30, S30’) of supplying fluid (L n+1 ) to the column container 21, the recovery container (C n ) of the previous stage and the recovery container (C n+1 ) of the current stage to determine whether they are the same (S40), the residual fluid (L n ) remaining inside the drive member flow path 24 is recovered into the recovery container (C n ), the residual fluid recovery step (S50), the recovery container change step (S60) of moving the recovery container (C n+1 ) for recovering the fluid (L n+1 ) to the recovery position, the fluid (L n+1 ) is sensed by the sensor 40, and the fluid (L n+1 ) that has passed through the column separation unit 20 by operating the drive member 25 until the sensing time is recovered into the recovery container (C n+1 ), and the step of determining whether it is the last stage of the radionuclide separation process (S80). Here, n is a natural number and may have a value that increases by 1 after the fluid recovery step (S70).

[0058] At the initial stage of using the radionuclide separation device 1 according to the present invention, the fluid recovery unit 30 may be moved to the origin, and thereby, the initial recovery container (C0) may be arranged at the recovery position. Also, In the residual fluid recovery step (S50), the internal volume value of the drive member flow path 24 may be input in order to set the drive time during which the drive member 25 is driven (S10).

[0059] The residual fluid recovery step (S50) can operate for a recovery time corresponding to the input internal volume value of the drive member flow path 24. Specifically, in the volume input step (S10), the operation time of the residual fluid recovery step (S50) may be calculated according to the internal volume value of the drive member flow path 24, and the drive member 25 may be driven in the residual fluid recovery step (S50) for the calculated drive time.

[0060] For this purpose, the control unit 50 is configured to control the volume of the supplied fluid (L n+1 ), the moving speed of the fluid (L n+1 ) in the column separation unit 20, the recovery container (C n+1Control parameters such as ) can be set. However, to reduce the possibility of cross-contamination, the supply fluid (L n+1 When supplying ) directly to the column container 21, or when supplying the fluid (L n+1 If the exact volume of the supply fluid (L) is unknown, n+1 The volume of the supplied fluid (L) may not be entered. n+1 The multi-stage fluid recovery method according to the present invention operates effectively even when the volume of the fluid is not input. A more detailed explanation of fluid supply and fluid recovery will be given later.

[0061] Figure 5 shows an example of a fluid recovery method including a fluid supply step (S30), a residual fluid recovery step (S50), a recovery container change step (S60), and a fluid recovery step (S70).

[0062] First, fluid (L) is supplied to the column vessel 21 by various methods. n+1 ) may be supplied (S30). As mentioned above, the supply fluid (L n+1 The fluid may be supplied in a volume set by the operation of the supply pump 12 by the control unit 50, or by a separate fluid supply unit (not shown) utilizing a disposable syringe or pipette. Another example is the supply fluid (L n+1 The fluid may be supplied directly to the column container 21 without passing through the fluid supply unit 10.

[0063] Fluid (L) into column container 21 n+1 After the supply of residual fluid (L n ) is a collection container (C n The residual fluid (L) may be recovered (S50). Specifically, the control unit 50 can drive the drive member 25 for a recovery time corresponding to the internal volume value of the drive member flow path 24 input in the volume input stage (S10). That is, the residual fluid (L) n When all of the contents of the collection container (C) located at the collection position are recovered, the drive of the drive member 25 may be stopped. n ) contains residual fluid (L n Only the fluid supplied in the fluid supply stage (S30) (L) is recovered. n+1 ) is a collection container (C n) may not be collected.

[0064] Residual fluid (L n After the ) is collected, the next collection container (C n+1 ) may be positioned (S60). Specifically, the control unit 50 positions the recovery container (C) set in the recovery container setting step (S20) at the recovery position. n+1 The movable member 33 can be driven so that the ) is positioned.

[0065] Collection container (C n+1 After the movement of ) is completed, the drive member 25 is activated, thereby releasing the fluid (L) supplied in the fluid supply stage (S10). n+1 ) is a collection container (C n+1 ) may be recovered (S70). When the drive member 25 is driven, the fluid (L n+1 The fluid (L) can move downwards through the adsorption member 22 and the filter member 23 within the column container 21, thereby allowing the fluid (L) to move downwards. n+1 The surface of the fluid (L) can gradually decrease. n+1 When the surface of the drive member reaches the sensing position of the sensor 40, the operation of the drive member 25 may be stopped. At this time, the drive member flow path 24 contains fluid (L n+1 ) can remain. Residual fluid (L n+1 In order to recover the fluid (L) in the next step, n+2 ) supply, residual fluid (L n+1 The aforementioned steps, such as the collection of (the product), may be repeated.

[0066] Figure 6 shows the fluid supply stage (S30'), the residual fluid recovery stage (S50), and the recovery container change stage. Further examples of a fluid recovery method including (S60) and the fluid recovery step (S70) are shown. More specifically, Figure 6 shows the subsequent fluid (L n+2 Without using ) the desired amount of fluid (L n+1 This document describes a fluid recovery method that can recover (the fluid).

[0067] In this invention, the amount of fluid supplied in the fluid supply stage (S30, S30') can be adjusted so as to recover a target volume of fluid without using a subsequent fluid. The amount of fluid supplied in the fluid supply stage (S30, S30') can be changed according to the result of the determination in the stage (S80) for determining whether it is the final stage of the radionuclide separation process. Specifically, if it is determined in the stage (S80) for determining whether it is the final stage of the radionuclide separation process, the amount of fluid supplied in the fluid supply stage (L n+2 Without using the same amount of fluid (L) as in the previous stage n+1 To recover a larger amount of fluid (L) n+1 ) may be supplied.

[0068] Specifically, in the final fluid supply stage (S30'), the fluid (L n+1 The supply amount of the subsequent fluid (L) may be the sum of the capacity required for the radionuclide separation process and the capacity corresponding to the internal volume of the drive member flow path 24. n+2 In the fluid supply step (S30') of the process that does not use the following fluid (L n+2 A larger amount of fluid may be supplied in the fluid supply step (S30) of the process using the drive member channel 24 than the amount of fluid supplied in the fluid supply step (S30), by a capacity corresponding to the internal volume of the drive member channel 24.

[0069] On the other hand, in the residual fluid recovery stage (S50), the drive member 25 can be driven for a recovery time corresponding to the internal volume value of the drive member flow path 24 input in the volume input stage (S10). This allows the recovery container (C) located at the recovery position to be driven. n ) contains residual fluid (L n Only ) can be recovered.

[0070] Residual fluid (L n After the ) is collected, the next collection container (C n+1 ) may be positioned (S60). Specifically, the control unit 50 positions the recovery container (C) set in the recovery container setting step (S20) at the recovery position. n+1 The movable member 33 can be driven so that the ) is positioned.

[0071] Collection container (C n+1After the movement of ) is complete, the drive member 25 is activated to move the supplied fluid (L n+1 ) is a collection container (C n+1 ) can be recovered (S70). The drive member 25 drives the fluid (L n+1 The system may stop when the surface of the sensor 40 reaches the detection position.

[0072] Through this process, the fluid recovery method in Figure 6 recovers the subsequent fluid (L) in the final stage of the multi-stage separation process. n+2 Without using ) the amount of fluid (L) required for the process n+1 ) to the collection container (C n+1 It can be recovered.

[0073] On the other hand, in the radionuclide separation process, the same recovery container may be used for two consecutive fluid recovery stages. Although omitted in Figures 5 and 6, previously the recovery container (C n ) and the fluid supplied in the S30 stage (L n+1 ) Collection container (C n+1 It can be determined whether it is the same as (S40). The collection container located at the collection position (C n ) and the collection container (C) set in the S20 stage n+1 If it is determined that the two are the same, the residual fluid recovery step (S50) and the recovery container change step (S60) may be omitted and the process may proceed.

[0074] The fluid recovery method using the radionuclide separation apparatus 1 according to the present invention allows for the rapid and accurate recovery of sequentially discharged fluids by repeating each step in a fixed order and under specific conditions, and controlling the drive of each component via the control unit 50. Furthermore, each step is performed automatically, reducing the time and labor required for the process. Additionally, if the drive member 25 is located at the bottom of the column container 21, the residual fluid in the drive member flow path 24, which inevitably occurs, can be recovered into an appropriate recovery container 31, thereby further increasing the fluid recovery rate.

[0075] The above description is merely illustrative of the technical concept of the present invention, and a person with ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can make various modifications and variations without deviating from the essential characteristics of the present invention. For example, the described technique may be performed in a different order than described, and / or the described system, structure, apparatus, circuit, or other components may be combined or combined in a different manner than described, or replaced or substituted by other components or equivalents, and the appropriate results may still be achieved. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes only, not to limit the technical concept of the present invention, and such embodiments do not limit the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted in accordance with the following claims, and all technical concepts within an equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the rights of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0076] 1. Radionuclide Separation Device 10 Fluid supply section 11 Supply container 12 Supply pump 20 Column separation section 21 Column vessels 211 Outlet 22 Adsorption member 23 Filter components 24 Drive Member Flow Channel 25 Drive Member 251 Roller 252 Rotation axis 30 Fluid recovery unit 31 Collection containers 32 Support member 33 Movable member 40 sensors 50 Control Unit

Claims

1. A device for separating a desired radionuclide, A fluid supply unit that supplies a fluid containing a sample or reagent containing a radionuclide, A column separation section includes a drive member channel for transmitting the fluid supplied from the fluid supply section, separating radioactive nuclides, and discharging the fluid from which the radioactive nuclides have been separated, A fluid recovery unit including a plurality of recovery containers for recovering the fluid discharged after passing through the column separation unit, A sensor for sensing the fluid inside the column separation section, A radionuclide separation apparatus including a fluid supply unit, a column separation unit, and a control unit that controls the driving of the fluid recovery unit, such that after residual fluid remaining inside the drive member flow path is recovered into the recovery container, the recovery container located at the recovery position is changed.

2. The column separation unit is, A column container containing the fluid supplied by the fluid supply unit, with an outlet formed on one side for discharging the fluid, The present invention further includes a drive member that provides power to move the fluid, The radionuclide separation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control unit controls the drive member so that the drive member is driven until the point in time when the fluid is detected by the sensor.

3. The column separation unit further includes an adsorption member disposed inside the column container to adsorb radioactive nuclides contained in the fluid, The radionuclide separation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the sensor senses the point in time when all of the supplied fluid inside the column container has flowed into the adsorption member.

4. The control unit, After the sensor detects a signal, the fluid supply unit is controlled so that new fluid is supplied to the column container. The radionuclide separation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein after the new fluid is supplied to the column vessel, the column separation unit is started to recover the fluid remaining in the drive member flow path, and the column separation unit is controlled to stop driving when all of the residual fluid has been recovered.

5. The internal volume value of the drive member flow path is input to the control unit. The radionuclide separation apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the driving time of the column separation unit for recovering the residual fluid according to the internal volume value of the drive member flow path that has been input.

6. A method for recovering a fluid using a radionuclide separation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, Fluid (L) into the column container ｎ＋１ The fluid supply stage involves supplying the fluid, Residual fluid (L) remaining inside the drive member flow path ｎ ) to the collection container (C ｎ ) A residual fluid recovery step, The supplied fluid (L ｎ＋１ ) Collection container (C ｎ＋１ The collection container changing step involves moving the container to the collection location, Up to the point of detection by the sensor, the drive member is operated to control the fluid (L) that has passed through the column separation section. ｎ＋１ ) to the collection container (C ｎ＋１ A fluid recovery method comprising a fluid recovery step of recovering the fluid in )

7. The process further includes a volume input step in which the internal volume value of the drive member flow path is input. The residual fluid recovery step is performed for a recovery time corresponding to the internal volume value of the drive member flow path that has been input. The fluid recovery method according to claim 6, which operates only in this manner.

8. The fluid recovery method according to claim 7, wherein, in the volume input stage, the operating time of the residual fluid recovery stage is calculated according to the internal volume value of the drive member flow path.

9. The fluid recovery method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of determining whether it is the final stage of the radionuclide separation process.

10. The fluid recovery method according to claim 9, wherein the amount supplied at the fluid supply stage is adjusted so that a certain amount of fluid can be recovered without using a subsequent fluid.

11. If it is determined that this is the final stage of the radionuclide separation process, then the fluid (L) is supplied in the fluid supply stage. ｎ＋１ The fluid recovery method according to claim 10, wherein the fluid supplied is in an amount equal to the sum of the volume required for the radionuclide separation process and the volume corresponding to the volume inside the drive member flow path.

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