Radioactive isotope manufacturing device

Abstract

To provide a radioactive isotope production apparatus that can stably produce radioactive isotopes while miniaturizing superconducting accelerators. [Solution] The above problem can be solved by a radioactive isotope manufacturing apparatus comprising an electron gun that outputs an electron beam E, an accelerator that accelerates the electron beam E by superconductivity, a cooling unit that cools the accelerator, a manufacturing unit that receives the electron beam E accelerated by the accelerator to produce a radioactive isotope, and a high-frequency source R that inputs high frequency to the accelerator, wherein the accelerator is equipped with a high-frequency cavity that receives high frequency from the high-frequency source to provide acceleration energy to the electron beam, and the cooling unit is equipped with a conduction cooling attachment that conductionally cools the entire cavity body 21 between an expander and the cavity body 21 of the high-frequency cavity.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a radioactive isotope production apparatus using a superconducting accelerator.

Background Art

[0002] Radioactive isotopes (radioisotopes, sometimes abbreviated as "RI" below) are produced by irradiating neutrons in a nuclear reactor or causing a nuclear reaction by a beam of an accelerator, so that a stable isotope is converted into a radioactive isotope, and are used in a wide range of fields such as medicine, industry, and research. In particular, in recent years, in the medical field, they are used as diagnostic radioactive pharmaceuticals such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET), and therapeutic radioactive pharmaceuticals used for targeted isotope therapy of cancer, etc., and the demand is increasing more and more.

[0003] Regarding a radioactive isotope production apparatus, for example, when producing nuclides such as molybdenum-99 ( 99 Mo) and actinium-225 ( 225 Ac), those using an accelerator are known. Conventionally, particle acceleration by normal-conduction acceleration technology has been mainstream in this radioactive isotope production apparatus using an accelerator. However, in the case of normal-conduction technology, most of the high-frequency power supplied from the outside is consumed as heat generated by electrical resistance on the inner surface of the acceleration cavity, and the loss of energy transmitted to the electron beam is large. On the other hand, a superconducting accelerator using superconducting acceleration technology can make the electrical resistance of the inner surface of the cavity with respect to high-frequency power much lower than that of a normal-conduction accelerator, so that almost all of the high-frequency power can be transmitted to the electron beam, and the electron beam can be efficiently accelerated (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 below).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

[0005] Currently, in the medical field, radioactive isotopes used in radiopharmaceuticals have short half-lives, making it difficult for manufacturers and hospitals to stockpile them. Furthermore, the amount of radioisotopes decreases during transportation, increasing the price of the drugs. Therefore, there is a need to achieve stable production in small-scale facilities convenient for supplying radiopharmaceuticals, located near places where radioactive isotopes are used (e.g., hospitals).

[0006] However, conventional radioisotope production equipment, such as that used in the International Linear Collider (ILC), typically requires cooling to below 2 degrees Celsius (2K). This necessitates increasing the number of vacuum pumps to improve cooling capacity or introducing cryogenic compressors. As a result, the cooling equipment becomes large, making it extremely difficult to transport and resulting in high costs. Conversely, simply sacrificing cooling capacity to miniaturize the equipment leads to decreased energy efficiency, making stable production of radioisotopes difficult. Therefore, conventional radioisotope production equipment has not adequately met the above requirements.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention aims to provide a radioactive isotope production apparatus that can stably produce radioactive isotopes while miniaturizing the superconducting accelerator. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] To achieve the above objective, the first invention is: An electron gun that emits an electron beam, An accelerator that accelerates electron beams using superconductivity, A cooling unit for cooling the accelerator, A generation and recovery unit that receives an electron beam accelerated by the aforementioned accelerator to generate and recover radioactive isotopes, A radioactive isotope production apparatus comprising a high-frequency source for supplying high-frequency waves to the accelerator, The accelerator includes a high-frequency cavity that receives high-frequency input from the high-frequency source and provides acceleration energy to the electron beam. The aforementioned high-frequency cavity comprises a cavity body made of a superconductor in which a plurality of cells are formed, The cooling section provides a radioactive isotope production apparatus characterized in that a conduction cooling attachment is interposed between the expansioner, which is a cooling source, and the cavity body, along the longitudinal direction of the cavity body, covering the entire circumference of the cavity body and conductingly cooling the entire cavity body.

[0009] According to the first invention described above, by arranging one expander for each cavity body, the entire length of the cavity body can be cooled uniformly and efficiently. As a result, the number of expanders to be arranged for each cavity body can be reduced compared to conventional methods, and consequently, the radioactive isotope production apparatus can be made significantly more compact.

[0010] To achieve the above objective, the second invention, in addition to the configuration of the first invention, The high-frequency cavity is characterized by being formed by coating the inner wall of the tubular body of the cavity with niobium-tin.

[0011] According to the second invention described above, in addition to the effects of the first invention described above, By coating the inner wall of the tube body of the high-frequency cavity with niobium-tritin, it is possible to operate at a temperature of 4K with a low surface resistance equivalent to that of niobium at 2K, and furthermore, it can withstand higher surface magnetic fields than conventional methods, thus enabling a higher acceleration gradient. As a result, it is possible to provide a radioactive isotope production apparatus that can stably produce radioactive isotopes while miniaturizing the superconducting accelerator.

[0012] To achieve the above objective, the third invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second invention, The cooling unit is configured to cool the high-frequency cavity to approximately 4K. The average acceleration energy of the electron beam accelerated by the accelerator is in the range of 10 MeV to 50 MeV, and the current is in the range of 1 μA to 1 mA.

[0013] According to the third invention, in addition to the effects of the first or second invention, Cooling to approximately 4K enables surface resistance performance equivalent to that of conventional niobium at approximately 2K. As a result, it is no longer necessary to cool the cooling unit to approximately 2K as in the prior art, so the radioisotope production apparatus can be miniaturized.

[0014] To achieve the above object, a fourth invention further includes, in addition to the configuration of the first or second invention, A control unit for controlling each part of the radioisotope production apparatus, and A mounting table on which the accelerator is mounted, and It is characterized in that the control unit and the high-frequency source are configured to be accommodated inside the mounting table.

[0015] According to the third invention, in addition to the effect of the second invention, By configuring the control unit and the high-frequency source to be accommodated inside the mounting table on which the accelerator is mounted, the entire radioisotope production apparatus can be made compact and the design effect can be enhanced.

Effects of the Invention

[0016] [[ID=3२]] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a radioisotope production apparatus that can stably produce radioisotopes while miniaturizing a superconducting accelerator.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0017] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a radioisotope production apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a right side view of the same. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is the left side view of the same above. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is the front view of the same above. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is the rear view of the same above. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an example of an electron gun. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the schematic configuration around the accelerator. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a schematic configuration diagram of the high-frequency cavity of the electron gun part in FIG. 1. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a schematic configuration diagram of the high-frequency cavity of the accelerator in FIG. 1. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is a schematic sectional view of the high-frequency cavity of the accelerator in FIG. 1. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a schematic sectional structure diagram showing the configuration around the cavity body. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram showing the schematic configuration of the cooling part in FIG. 1.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] <1. Regarding the Overall Configuration of the Radioisotope Production Apparatus> Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In FIGS. 1 to 5, a plan view, a right side view, a left side view, a front view, and a rear view of a radioisotope production apparatus 1 (hereinafter, also simply referred to as the production apparatus 1) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention are shown respectively. Note that the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 1 (the traveling direction of the electron beam E described later) is defined as the "front" direction of the production apparatus 1, the opposite direction is the "rear", the right side facing the "rear" direction is the "right" direction, and the left side is the "left" direction. The front side of the production apparatus 1 is the "front", and the opposite side is the "rear". However, the definitions of these directions themselves are determined for convenience in explaining the configuration of the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0019] As shown in Figures 1 to 5, the manufacturing apparatus 1 comprises an electron gun A that outputs an electron beam E, an accelerator B that accelerates the output electron beam E, a control unit C that adjusts the accelerated electron beam E, and a manufacturing and recovery unit D that manufactures and recovers radioactive isotopes. Furthermore, it includes a cooling unit G that cools the electron gun A and accelerator B, a vacuum exhaust unit N that evacuates the electron gun A and accelerator B, a high-frequency source R that supplies high-frequency waves to the electron gun A and accelerator B, and a control unit M that performs various controls. Each component will be described in order below.

[0020] <1. Configuration of Electron Gun A> Figure 6 is a schematic diagram showing an example of electron gun A. Electron gun A is responsible for outputting the electron beam E. As electron gun A, a thermal cathode electron gun, thermal RF electron gun, photocathode electron gun, photocathode radio frequency (RF) electron gun, field emission electron gun, or field emission RF electron gun can be used.

[0021] In this embodiment, as an example, as shown in Figure 6, the electron gun A comprises a laser output unit 10 that outputs laser light L, an optical modulation unit 11 capable of blocking the laser light L, a target 12 that generates charged particles when irradiated with the laser light L, and an extraction unit 13 for extracting the electron beam E by accelerating the charged particles generated in the target 12 in one direction. The extraction unit 13 also includes a high-frequency cavity U1, which will be described later. The dashed arrows in the figures indicate the flow of signals (Figures 7, 8, 9, and 12).

[0022] Electron gun A is configured to operate in continuous wave (CW) mode, but it may also operate in pulse mode. Pulse mode is a method of generating and stopping the electron beam E at regular intervals by dividing it into trains, rather than generating the electron beam E continuously. Multiple electron beam pulses (sometimes called bunches) exist within a train. In this case, the time width of each beam pulse is not particularly limited, but is for example 1 to 20 picoseconds (ps). The repetition frequency of the beam pulse is not particularly limited, but is for example 1 Hz or higher, preferably 150 MHz or higher. In this invention, the preferred length of the beam train is 0.1 msec or more, more preferably 1 msec or more. Also in this invention, the preferred repetition period of the beam train is 1 Hz or higher, more preferably 10 Hz or higher.

[0023] <2. Configuration of Accelerator B> Figure 7 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the schematic configuration around accelerator B. Accelerator B plays the role of accelerating the electron beam E output from electron gun A using superconductivity. Accelerator B is equipped with a radio frequency cavity U2, which will be described later.

[0024] Here, the average acceleration energy of the electron beam E provided by accelerator B may vary depending on the type of radioisotope (RI) being produced. However, considering the production efficiency of RI, it is preferably 10 MeV or higher. If the energy is too high, problems with heat treatment and unwanted reactions will occur, so it is preferably less than 60 MeV, more preferably 30 to 50 MeV, and even more preferably 35 to 45 MeV.

[0025] Furthermore, the average acceleration gradient of the electron beam E accelerated by accelerator B is preferably 10 MeV / m or more, and more preferably 40 MeV / m or more. Also, the average current of the electron beam E obtained by acceleration with accelerator B is preferably 1 μA or more, and more preferably 100 μA or more. In addition, it is particularly preferable to set the acceleration gradient of electron gun A to 20 MeV / m, the acceleration gradient of accelerator B to 20 MeV / m, and accelerate the electron beam E to 40 MeV or more.

[0026] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the high-frequency cavity U1 of electron gun A in Figure 1, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the high-frequency cavity U2 of accelerator B in Figure 1, and Figure 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the high-frequency cavities U1 and U2 of electron gun A and accelerator B in Figure 1.

[0027] Electron gun A generates and accelerates the electron beam E and injects it into accelerator B. Accelerator B further accelerates the electron beam E and ejects it to adjustment unit C. Electron gun A is equipped with a high-frequency cavity U1 that provides acceleration energy to the electron beam E. This high-frequency cavity U1 is a mechanism that stores electromagnetic waves inside a cavity made of superconductor and uses the electric field component to accelerate charged particles (a so-called superconducting high-frequency cavity).

[0028] Similarly, accelerator B is equipped with a radio frequency cavity U2 that provides acceleration energy to the electron beam E. While electron gun A has one radio frequency cavity U1, accelerator B has four interconnected radio frequency cavities U2, U2, U2, U2. Although radio frequency cavities U1 and U2 differ in the number of cells, they have similar structures and will be described together below.

[0029] As shown in Figure 8 (Figure 9), the high-frequency cavity U1 (U2) comprises a cavity body 21 (31) which is a tubular body with multiple cell sections formed therein, a connecting coupler 22 (32) connected to the inlet (injection side) and outlet (exit side) of the cavity body 21 (31), and a cooling casing 23 (33) for cooling the cavity body 21 (31). The cavity body 21 of electron gun A has four cell sections as shown in Figure 8, and the cavity body 31 of accelerator B has nine cell sections, but the number of cells is not limited to the illustrated examples.

[0030] The connecting couplers 22(32) communicate with the inlet side and outlet side of the cavity body 21(31), respectively. The inlet-side connecting coupler 22(32) is provided with an input coupler 22a(32a) for inputting high frequency (RF: Radio Frequency) to the cavity body 21(31), and the outlet-side connecting coupler 22(32) is provided with an electric field measuring unit 22b(32b) for measuring the accelerating electric field of the cavity body 21(31).

[0031] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10, the high-frequency cavity U1 (U2) is formed by creating the tube 21a (31a) of the cavity body 21 (31) from niobium (Nb) and coating the inner wall 21b (31b) of the tube 21a (31a) with niobium tritin (Nb3Sn). With this configuration, surface resistance performance equivalent to that of conventional niobium at approximately 2K can be achieved by cooling to approximately 4K (for example, around 3.8K to 4.2K). Moreover, the upper critical magnetic field of niobium tritin is higher than that of niobium, and it can withstand higher surface magnetic fields, thus enabling a higher acceleration gradient. As a result, the accelerator B itself can be miniaturized, and the cooling section G, which will be described later, can also be miniaturized because it no longer needs to be cooled to approximately 2K as in the conventional method. This makes the entire manufacturing apparatus 1 significantly smaller than before. The residual resistance ratio (RRR) of niobium in the tube 21a (31a) is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 100 or more, preferably 225 or more, more preferably 300 or more, and even more preferably 400 or more.

[0032] Here, the superconductor used in the tube 21a (31a) is not particularly limited, but examples include niobium, niobium-titanium alloy, niobium-tin alloy, niobium nitride, and other niobium alloys. While a higher upper critical magnetic field in the high-frequency cavity U1 (U2) is preferable, a lower field tends to be preferable from the viewpoint of limiting the selectable superconductors. For example, the upper critical magnetic field of the superconductor used in the tube 21a (31a) is preferably 1T (Tesla) or higher, more preferably 10T or higher, and even more preferably 30T.

[0033] Furthermore, the method for manufacturing the high-frequency cavity U1 (U2) is not particularly limited and includes methods such as evaporation diffusion, direct plating of tin onto niobium, and the bronzing method, in which copper, tin, and copper are plated in three layers on the niobium surface. In this embodiment, tin is plated onto the inner surface of the niobium cavity and the temperature is raised to a high level in a vacuum to coat the inner wall 21b (31b) of the tube body 21a (31a) with niobium-tin (Nb3Sn). This allows for film formation with a simpler and more compact apparatus compared to the conventional vacuum deposition furnace method, and also reduces manufacturing costs.

[0034] The cooling casing 23(33) is made of pure aluminum or graphite, which has excellent thermal conductivity, and as shown in Figures 8 to 10, it includes an upper bar 24(34) above the hollow body 21(31) to adjust the overall length of the cavity, a lower bar 25(35) below to adjust the overall length of the cavity, a front plate 26(36) that covers the front and forms a flange shape of the hollow, and a rear plate 27(37) that covers the rear and forms a flange shape of the hollow. The front plate 26(36) and the rear plate 27(37) are attached and fixed to the connecting coupler 22(32), and the upper bar 24(34) and the lower bar 25(35) are attached and fixed between the front plate 26(36) and the rear plate 27(37).

[0035] Furthermore, tuners t1(t2) are provided at appropriate locations on the upper bar 24(34) and the lower bar 25(35). These tuners t1(t2) include a coarse adjustment tuner that is mechanically driven using a stepping motor and a precision adjustment tuner that is electrically driven using a piezoelectric element (neither of which are shown). By controlling the stroke of the coarse adjustment tuner and the precision adjustment tuner, the resonant frequency is adjusted by expanding or contracting the entire length of the cavity within the elastic deformation range of the cavity body 21(31).

[0036] As shown in Figure 10, the left and right conduction cooling blades 28(38), 28(38) extend downward from the upper bar 24(34), bending inward in the left-right direction, and contact both sides of the approximately cubic conduction cooling attachment 29(39) that surrounds the entire length of the cavity body 21(31). As a result, when cooled by the expander 51 of the cooling section G (described later), heat conduction is transmitted through the left and right conduction cooling blades 28(38), 28(38), and the entire cavity body 21(31) is cooled via the conduction cooling attachment 29(39) that it contacts. In addition, the left and right conduction cooling blades 28(38) act as a buffer, preventing vibrations from being transmitted to the cavity body 21(31) from the outside.

[0037] Furthermore, the upper bar 24(34) is fitted with multiple conduction cooling blades 28(38), 28(38) along its longitudinal direction, and is configured to cool the conduction cooling attachment 29(39) that surrounds the cavity body 21(31) along its longitudinal direction. In order to miniaturize the manufacturing apparatus 1, it is necessary to efficiently remove the heat generated by high-frequency losses while keeping the high-frequency cavity U1(U2) made of superconductor in a superconducting state. Conventionally, this has resulted in a larger apparatus by placing an expander 51 in each of the cavity bodies 21(31) 21a(31a). However, by configuring the system to conductionally cool the entire cavity body 21(31) via a conduction cooling attachment 29(39) that covers the entire length of the cavity body 21(31) along its longitudinal direction, it becomes possible to cool the entire length of the cavity body 21(31) evenly and efficiently by providing only one expander 51 for each cavity body 21(31). As a result, the number of expanders 51 provided for each cavity body 21(31) can be reduced compared to conventional methods, and consequently, the cooling section G and the entire manufacturing apparatus 1 can be made significantly more compact.

[0038] The accelerator control unit M2 (M3) is part of the control unit M and plays a role in controlling the operation (acceleration) of the high-frequency cavity U1 (U2). The accelerator control unit M2 (M3) includes a high-frequency source control unit m21 (m31) and a tuner control unit m22 (m32). The high-frequency control unit m21 (m31) controls the output (amplitude and phase) of the high-frequency source R. The tuner control unit m12 controls the extension and retraction (stroke) of the tuner t1 (t2). Furthermore, the accelerator control unit M2 (M3) is configured to acquire measurement values ​​from the electric field measurement unit 22b (32b) at predetermined time intervals for each cavity body 21 (31) and to perform feedback control so that the measured value of the accelerating electric field becomes the target value.

[0039] Figure 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the structure around the cavity body 21 (31). As shown in Figure 11, the cavity body 21(31) is located inside the vacuum chamber 70 and is covered from the inside by a magnetic shield 71 and a thermal shield 72. The vacuum chamber 70 is a vacuum vessel in which the inside is kept in a vacuum state. The above configuration reduces radiant heat and conductive heat from the outside of the vacuum chamber 70 to these components inside the vacuum chamber 70. In addition, an expander 51 is fixed to the upper surface of the upper bar 24(34) by an external attachment 73, and a cooling casing 23(33) is in contact with the cooling head 51b, thereby transferring heat to the upper bar 24(34). Furthermore, the vacuum chamber 70 is evacuated using a vacuum exhaust unit (vacuum pump) N such as an ion pump or a turbomolecular pump.

[0040] <3. Configuration of the high-frequency source R> The high-frequency source R is a high-frequency oscillator that generates high frequencies and injects them into the high-frequency cavity U1 (U2) from the connected input coupler 22a (32a), thereby providing acceleration energy to the electron beam E. The frequency of the high frequencies generated by the high-frequency source R is not particularly limited, but is, for example, 0.1 to 10 GHz, preferably 0.5 to 5 GHz, and more preferably 1 to 3 GHz. The high-frequency source R is composed of multiple RF amplifiers.

[0041] <4. Configuration of Cooling Unit G> Figure 12 is a schematic diagram showing the general configuration of the cooling unit G in Figure 1. The cooling unit G is configured, for example, as a Gifford-McMahon (GM) chiller. As shown in Figure 12, the cooling unit G comprises an expander 51, a compressor 52, a storage tank 53, and a water-cooled chiller 54.

[0042] The expander 51, also called the cold head, functions as a cooling source and includes an expander motor 51a that causes pressure fluctuations in the refrigerant gas when driven, and a cooling head 51b that removes heat through the pressure fluctuations of the refrigerant gas. The housing of the expander 51 is also provided with an exhaust port 51c for discharging refrigerant gas and an intake port 51d for drawing in refrigerant gas.

[0043] The compressor 52 comprises a low-pressure gas inlet 55, a high-pressure gas outlet 56, a low-pressure passage 57 connected to the discharge port 51c, a high-pressure passage 58 connected to the suction port 51d, a first pressure sensor 57s disposed in the low-pressure passage 57, a second pressure sensor 58s disposed in the high-pressure passage 58, a bypass line 59, a relief valve 59a, a compressor body 60, and a compressor housing 61.

[0044] The compressor body 60 is, for example, a scroll type, rotary type, or other pump that pressurizes the working gas, and is configured to compress the refrigerant gas drawn in from its inlet and discharge it from its outlet.

[0045] When the compressor body 60 is operated, refrigerant gas is drawn into the compressor body 60 from the low-pressure gas inlet 55, and the pressurized refrigerant gas is sent to the expander 51 from the high-pressure gas outlet 56, thus circulating the refrigerant gas.

[0046] The first pressure sensor 57s measures the pressure of the working gas flowing through the low-pressure channel 57. The second pressure sensor 58s measures the pressure of the working gas flowing through the high-pressure channel 58. Signals indicating the measured values ​​from the first pressure sensor 57s and the second pressure sensor 58s are transmitted to the cooling control unit M4 of the control unit M.

[0047] The relief valve 59a is configured to act as a so-called safety valve and is located on a bypass line 59 that connects the low-pressure passage 57 and the high-pressure passage 58.

[0048] Furthermore, a heat exchange section 62 is provided on the high-pressure flow path 58 to cool the refrigerant gas flowing through the high-pressure flow path 58. The heat exchange section 62 is configured to perform heat exchange between the refrigerant gas and the cooling water by a water-cooled chiller 54 that circulates cooling water in a cooling medium flow path 62a.

[0049] The storage tank 53 is a container for storing refrigerant gas. In this embodiment, the storage tank 53 is connected to the low-pressure passage 57 and the high-pressure passage 58, respectively, and configured to supply refrigerant gas, but the connection points are not limited to these. The refrigerant gas can be, for example, helium, nitrogen, hydrogen, etc., but helium is preferred.

[0050] The cooling control unit M4 comprises an expander motor control unit m41 and an inverter m42. The expander motor control unit m41 controls the drive of the expander motor 51a via the control of the inverter m42. The inverter m42 is connected to an external power supply 63, and the inverter m42 controls, for example, the operating frequency of the expander motor 51a to a frequency higher than the power supply frequency of the external power supply 63. The cooling control unit M4 is configured to acquire measured values ​​from the first pressure sensor 57s and the second pressure sensor 58s at predetermined time intervals and to perform feedback control so that the pressures in the low-pressure flow path 57 and the high-pressure flow path 58 reach target values.

[0051] <5. Configuration of Adjustment Unit C> Adjustment Unit C acts as a relay between accelerator B and production / recovery Unit D, and functions to adjust the direction of travel and spot size (spot diameter) of the accelerated electron beam E. It comprises an electromagnet device 81 consisting of two quadrupole electromagnets that focus the electron beam E and one deflection electromagnet that bends the direction of travel, and multiple vacuum pipes 82. Accelerator B, electromagnet device 81, and multiple vacuum pipes 82 are connected by piping. As a result, Adjustment Unit C can focus the electron beam E accelerated by accelerator B using the electromagnet device 81 to change and adjust the spot size, and can also bend the direction of travel diagonally using the electromagnet device 81. As a result, the electron beam E passing through Adjustment Unit C is injected into the target section (not shown) of production / recovery Unit D, described later, via the vacuum pipes 82 arranged diagonally to the front-to-back direction, and radioactive isotopes are generated. Vacuum pipes 82 arranged parallel to the front-to-back direction are used only for measuring beam emittance with limited current.

[0052] <6. Configuration of the generation and recovery unit D> The generation and recovery unit D is equipped with a target unit (not shown) into which the electron beam E, delivered by the vacuum pipe 82, is injected, and plays the role of recovering the generated radioactive isotopes.

[0053] The target section contains isotopes in a solid or eluent form that will be used to produce the desired radioactive isotope. Electrons are irradiated onto the isotopes to generate the radioactive isotope nuclide. For example, if the isotope is an eluent, the system includes an eluent supply device for eluting the desired radioactive nuclide into the eluent (liquid), a target material which is a porous body or granular body through which the eluent (liquid) can pass, and a target container containing the target material.

[0054] <7. Arrangement and configuration of each part of the radioactive isotope production apparatus 1> As shown in Figures 1 to 6, the manufacturing apparatus 1 in this embodiment is configured to house the control unit M and the high-frequency source R inside the mounting platform H on which the accelerator B is placed. More specifically, the mounting platform H is formed by combining frame materials in a shelf-like manner, with the accelerator B placed on the upper level h1, the control unit M housed in the middle level h2, and the high-frequency source R housed in the lower level h3. This arrangement makes the entire manufacturing apparatus 1 compact and enhances its design aesthetics. Furthermore, the mounting platform H is equipped with casters h4, making it easy to move the manufacturing apparatus 1.

[0055] Furthermore, by arranging the adjustment unit C and the generation and recovery unit D on the upper h1 of the mounting table H, and arranging the compressor 52 and the water-cooled chiller 54 to the side of the mounting table H, and arranging storage tanks 53, 53 on top of the compressor 52, the overall manufacturing apparatus 1 is made more compact and its design is improved.

[0056] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the technical idea. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] A Electron Gun B Accelerator Accelerator C adjustment section D Generation and Recovery Unit E electron beam G Cooling section L Laser light M control section M1 Electron Gun Control Unit M2,M3 Accelerator control section M4 cooling control section N Vacuum exhaust section R High frequency source U1,U2 High frequency cavity H mounting platform h1 Top row h2 middle row h3 Bottom h4 caster t1, t2 tuner 1 Radioisotope production equipment 10 Laser output section 11. Optical Modulation Section 12 Targets 13 Drawer section 14 DC current 21,31 Hollow body 21a, 31a Body 21b,31b Inner wall 22,32 Coupling coupler 22a, 32a Input coupler 22b, 32b Electric field measurement section 23,33 Cooling casing 24,34 Top bar 25,35 Lower bar 26,36 Front plate 27,37 Rear plate 28,38 Conductive cooling blades 29,39 Conductive cooling attachment 51 Inflator 52 Compressor 53 Storage Tanks 54 Water-cooled chiller 55 Low-pressure gas inlet 56 High-pressure gas outlet 57 Low-pressure flow path 57s First pressure sensor 58 High-voltage flow path 58s Second pressure sensor 59 Bypass Line 59a Relief valve 60 Compressor Unit 70 Vacuum chamber 71 Magnetic Shielding 72 Heat Shield 73 External Attachments 61 Compressor enclosure 81 Bending electromagnet 82 Vacuum Pipes

Claims

1. An electron gun that emits an electron beam, An accelerator that accelerates electron beams using superconductivity, A cooling unit for cooling the accelerator, A generation and recovery unit that receives an electron beam accelerated by the aforementioned accelerator to generate and recover radioactive isotopes, A radioactive isotope production apparatus comprising a high-frequency source for supplying high-frequency waves to the accelerator, The accelerator includes a high-frequency cavity that receives high-frequency input from the high-frequency source and provides acceleration energy to the electron beam. The aforementioned high-frequency cavity comprises a cavity body made of a superconductor in which a plurality of cell portions are formed, The radioactive isotope production apparatus is characterized in that the cooling section is fitted between the expander and the cavity body, and a conduction cooling attachment is interposed therebetween the cavity body and along its longitudinal direction, covering the entire circumference of the cavity body and conducting cooling of the entire cavity body.

2. The radioactive isotope production apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the high-frequency cavity is formed by coating the inner wall of the cavity body with niobium-tin.

3. The cooling unit is configured to cool the high-frequency cavity to approximately 4K. The radioactive isotope production apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the average acceleration energy of the electron beam accelerated by the accelerator is in the range of 10 MeV to 60 MeV and the current is in the range of 1 μA to 1 mA.

4. A control unit that controls each part of the radioactive isotope production apparatus, The accelerator is further provided with a mounting platform on which the accelerator is placed. The radioactive isotope production apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the control unit and the high-frequency source are housed inside the mounting platform.

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