Device for producing iodine-131

Abstract

A device for producing iodine-131, comprising a gas retort (1), a tellurium dioxide trap (2), an absorption device (3) and a tail gas treatment device (4) which are connected in sequence; the gas retort (1) comprises a heating furnace (7), a furnace tube (8), a furnace cover (11), a gas intake pipeline, a gas output pipeline (6) and a material boat (13), wherein the furnace tube (8) is arranged in the middle of the heating furnace (7), the furnace cover (11) covers the heating furnace (7) and seals an opening of the furnace tube (8), the gas intake pipeline enters the heating furnace (7) and is in communication with the furnace tube (8), one end of the gas output pipeline (6) is in communication with the furnace tube (8), the other end of the gas output pipeline penetrates out of the heating furnace (7), the material boat (13) is movably placed in the furnace tube (8), and the gas output pipeline (6) of the gas retort (1) is in communication with the tellurium dioxide trap (2). During operation, only one-time operation of opening a furnace cover (11) for placing a material boat (13) into a furnace tube (8) is required, and the furnace cover does not need to be opened multiple times during preparation. A gas retort (1) has a simple structure, and is easily operated and well sealed, and avoids the risk of radioactive gas leakage caused by opening the furnace cover multiple times.

Description

A device for producing iodine-131 Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of radioisotope preparation, and in particular to a device for producing iodine-131. Background Art

[0002] Iodine-131 is a crucial medical radioisotope, clinically used primarily for diagnosing thyroid function, treating hyperthyroidism, and thyroid cancer metastases. It is also used for imaging the kidneys, liver, myocardium, and brain, and for killing various solid tumor cells. As the second most widely used medical isotope, the reliability of its supply is crucial. Currently, China still requires large quantities of iodine-131 to be imported, which has become a bottleneck in the development of nuclear medicine and requires urgent resolution.

[0003] The main methods for producing iodine-131 are irradiating uranium targets and irradiating tellurium targets. Irradiating uranium-235 (U-235) produces numerous side reactions, numerous impurities, and complex process conditions, generating large amounts of high-level radioactive liquid waste. Therefore, only a few countries use this method. Irradiating tellurium to produce iodine-131 produces less waste, is free of contamination by alpha impurities and other fission products, and offers high product purity and low production costs. This method is adopted by most countries. The extraction process for producing iodine-131 from irradiated tellurium targets involves two methods: wet and dry. The wet method uses tellurium powder as the target, dissolves it in a large amount of acid, and distills it to obtain the product. However, this method has drawbacks such as the generation of large amounts of radioactive liquid waste, difficulty in handling, cumbersome operations, and long processing times. The dry method uses TeO2 as the target, and produces the product through high-temperature dry distillation after irradiation. This method offers advantages such as high yield, high radioactive concentration and radiochemical purity, short production time, low levels of radioactive waste, and safety and reliability, making it the predominant method for producing iodine-131. However, the retort in the existing dry preparation device adopts a horizontal heating furnace body, and is provided with openable lids at the air inlet and outlet ports at both ends of the furnace body. During the operation, the lids at both ends need to be opened repeatedly, which is complicated to operate and requires a lot of workload for the operator. It also causes a large radiation dose to the operator, poor sealing, and the risk of radioactive gas leakage. It cannot meet the needs of large-scale and rapid production of iodine-131.

[0004] Therefore, it is urgent to develop a new type of iodine-131 preparation equipment to solve the defects of the traditional dry method iodine-131 distillation equipment, lay the foundation for stable, reliable, long-term large-scale preparation of iodine-131, and achieve the goal of domesticating iodine-131 raw materials.

[0005] In view of this, this patent application is filed.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention provides a device for producing iodine-131, which solves the technical problems of the existing preparation device, such as complex structure, complex operation, and poor sealing caused by multiple openings of the lid, which poses a risk of radioactive gas leakage. It can meet the needs of large-scale and rapid production of iodine-131.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a device for producing iodine-131, comprising a retort, a tellurium dioxide collector, an absorption device, and an exhaust gas treatment device connected in sequence;

[0009] The retort furnace includes a heating furnace body, a furnace tube, a furnace cover, an air inlet pipe, an air outlet pipe, and a material boat. The furnace tube is arranged in the middle of the heating furnace body, the furnace cover covers the heating furnace body and forms a seal on the furnace tube opening, the air inlet pipe enters the heating furnace body and is connected to the furnace tube, one end of the air outlet pipe is connected to the furnace tube and the other end passes through the heating furnace body, the material boat is movably placed in the furnace tube, and the air outlet pipe of the retort furnace is connected to the tellurium dioxide collector.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present invention, a heating furnace body is coupled with a furnace cover at the top, and both the inlet and outlet pipes are disposed within the heating furnace body. During operation, the furnace cover only needs to be opened once to place the material boat into the furnace tube, eliminating the need for multiple openings during the preparation process. The inlet and outlet pipes only need to be fixedly connected to the front and rear ends prior to preparation. Compared to existing retort furnaces that require openings at both ends of the heating furnace body and share a common channel between the inlet and outlet pipes and the openings at both ends of the heating furnace body, the retort furnace of the present invention has a simple structure, is easy to operate, and is well sealed, avoiding the risk of radioactive gas leakage caused by multiple openings.

[0011] In an optional embodiment, an insulation layer is provided inside the heating furnace body to maintain the temperature inside the heating furnace body, and an insulation fiber layer is provided inside the furnace cover to isolate the heat from the outside to prevent the operator from accidentally touching the furnace cover and getting injured.

[0012] In an optional embodiment, the furnace cover is provided with a movable handle, and the charge boat is provided with a lifting handle. During operation, a robot can be used to open or close the furnace cover, and the charge boat can be lifted into or out of the furnace tube using the lifting handle. The opening and closing of the furnace cover and the entry and exit of the charge boat can be controlled automatically, eliminating the need for human intervention. This improves automation and reduces the risk of human exposure. Existing retort furnaces, however, cannot use a robot to open and close the cover or remove or insert the charge boat. These processes require manual operation, which is labor-intensive and poses a risk of radioactive exposure.

[0013] In an optional embodiment, the air intake line includes an air intake pipe and a ground-mouth air intake pipe. The air intake pipe communicates with the furnace tube. One end of the ground-mouth air intake pipe is connected to the air intake pipe, and the other end passes through the heating furnace body. The ground-mouth air intake pipe design provides excellent sealing performance, effectively preventing gas leakage, improving the sealing of the device, and avoiding the risk of radioactive gas leakage caused by repeated opening of the furnace tube.

[0014] In an optional embodiment, a heightening column is fixedly provided in the furnace tube, and the material boat is placed on the heightening column. The heightening column can make contact between the material boat and the furnace tube to avoid adhesion between the material boat and the furnace tube.

[0015] In an optional embodiment, the furnace tube and the material boat are both made of quartz.

[0016] In an optional embodiment, the absorption device is a secondary absorption device.

[0017] In an optional embodiment, the first absorption step in the two-stage absorption process uses a 0.1-0.5 mol / l sodium hydroxide solution to absorb iodine vapor, and the second absorption step uses a 0.1-1 mol / l sodium hydroxide solution to absorb iodine vapor. The use of a two-stage absorption process can improve the adsorption effect of iodine-131.

[0018] In an optional embodiment, the tail gas treatment device is an iodine vapor absorption device, and the tail gas is absorbed with a 0.5-5 mol / l sodium hydroxide solution to ensure that the iodine-131 tail gas is completely absorbed.

[0019] In an optional embodiment, a controller is further included, and the controller is electrically connected to the heating furnace body.

[0020] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages and beneficial effects:

[0022] (1) An embodiment of the present invention provides a device for producing iodine-131, which adopts a method of matching a heating furnace body with a furnace cover on the top, and both the air outlet pipe and the air inlet pipe are arranged in the heating furnace body. During operation, it is only necessary to open the furnace cover once to place the material boat into the furnace tube, and it is not necessary to open it multiple times during the preparation process. The air inlet pipe and the air outlet pipe only need to be fixedly connected to the front and rear ends before preparation. Compared with the existing dry distillation furnace that needs to set openings at both ends of the heating furnace body, and the air inlet pipe and the air outlet pipe share a channel with the openings at both ends of the heating furnace body, the dry distillation furnace of the present invention has a simple structure, simple operation, good sealing, avoids the risk of radioactive gas leakage caused by multiple openings, and has fewer leakage points.

[0023] (2) An embodiment of the present invention provides a device for producing iodine-131, which is provided with a movable handle on the furnace cover and a lifting handle on the material boat. During operation, a manipulator can be used to open or close the furnace cover, and a manipulator can be used to lift the material boat into or out of the furnace tube through the lifting handle. The opening and closing of the furnace cover and the entry and exit of the material boat can be controlled by automatic control without the need for human operation, thereby improving automation and reducing the risk of exposure to personnel. However, in existing retort furnaces, it is impossible to use a manipulator to open and close the cover, or to use a manipulator to take out or put in the material boat. These processes require manual operation, which is labor-intensive and faces the risk of radioactive exposure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the examples. It should be understood that the following drawings only illustrate certain embodiments of the present invention and should not be considered as limiting the scope. A person of ordinary skill in the art can also derive other relevant drawings based on these drawings without inventive effort. In the drawings:

[0025] FIG1 is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for producing iodine-131 provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] FIG2 is a schematic structural diagram of a retort furnace for producing iodine-131 provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] In the accompanying figure: 1-retorting furnace, 2-tellurium dioxide collector, 3-absorption device, 4-exhaust gas treatment device, 5-controller, 6-exhaust pipe, 7-heating furnace body, 8-furnace tube, 9-moving handle, 10-insulating fiber layer, 11-furnace cover, 12-lifting handle, 13-material boat, 14-inlet pipe, 15-insulation layer, 16-inlet ground pipe, 17-heightening column. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with examples and drawings. The exemplary embodiments of the present invention and their descriptions are only used to explain the present invention and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0029] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings herein can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0030] It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following figures. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined or explained in subsequent figures. In the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of this application can be combined with each other.

[0031] In the description of the embodiments of the present application, the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "longitudinal", "lateral", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", "front", "back", "top", "bottom", etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the orientations or positional relationships in which the product of the application is conventionally placed when in use, or are the orientations or positional relationships conventionally understood by those skilled in the art. They are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0032] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "disposed," "having," "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they may refer to fixed, detachable, or integral connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention in specific contexts.

[0033] Example 1:

[0034] FIG1 is a structural block diagram of an apparatus for producing iodine-131 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG2 is a structural schematic diagram of a retort 1 in an apparatus for producing iodine-131 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] In Figures 1 and 2 , the production apparatus of the present invention includes: a retort 1, a tellurium dioxide collector 2, an absorber 3, an exhaust gas treatment device 4, and a controller 5. The retort 1 is connected to a furnace tube 8, which is connected to an exhaust pipe 6. The exhaust pipe 6 is connected to the tellurium dioxide collector 2, which is in turn connected to the absorber 3 and the exhaust gas treatment device 4 via pipes. The controller 5 is electrically connected to the retort 1, as shown in Figure 1 .

[0036] As shown in FIG. 2 , the dry distillation furnace 1 includes a heating furnace body 7 , a furnace tube 8 , a furnace cover 11 , an air inlet pipe, an air outlet pipe 6 , and a material boat 13 .

[0037] The heating furnace body 7 is cylindrical and contains a heating filament and insulation layer 15. The heating filament provides heat, while the insulation layer 15 maintains the furnace body temperature, creating a constant temperature zone in the retort 1. The retort 1 has an adjustable operating temperature between 700°C and 800°C, with a maximum control temperature of 1000°C and a constant temperature accuracy of ±1°C. The heating filament and insulation layer 15 within the furnace body have a service life of ≥5000 hours within the 700-800°C range, with a heating rate of 0-10°C / min.

[0038] The cylindrical furnace tube 8 is located in the middle of the heating furnace body 7 and is open at one end. The diameter of the furnace tube 8 is 70-160 mm, the height is 70-150 mm, and the material is quartz glass. The upper end of the furnace tube 8 is a ground-joint cover with a special design that allows for opening and closing with a robot.

[0039] The furnace cover 11 is located on the top of the heating furnace body 7 and can form a seal for the heating furnace body 7 and the furnace tube 8. The furnace cover 11 can be made of metal. A heat insulating fiber layer 10 is also provided inside the furnace cover 11 for heat insulation to prevent operators from being injured by accidental touch.

[0040] The air intake line includes an air intake pipe 14 and an air intake ground-mouth pipe 16. The air intake pipe 14 communicates with the furnace tube 8, which in turn communicates with the air intake ground-mouth pipe 16. The other end of the air intake ground-mouth pipe 16 passes through the heating furnace body 7 and reaches the outside. The air outlet line 6 has one end connected to the furnace tube 8 and the other end extending out of the heating furnace body 7 and reaches the outside. The height of the air intake line is lower than that of the air outlet line 6. The air outlet line 6 is connected to the tellurium dioxide collector 2.

[0041] The material boat 13 is cylindrical, has a diameter of 60-150 mm, a height of 50-120 mm, and is made of quartz.

[0042] A movable handle 9 is provided on the top of the furnace cover 11, and a robot can be used to cover or open the cover; a lifting handle 12 is provided on the material boat 13, and a robot can be used to safely put the material boat 13 into the constant temperature zone of the furnace tube 8 or take it out of the furnace tube 8.

[0043] There is a raising column 17 at the bottom of the cylindrical furnace tube 8, and the material boat 13 is placed on the raising column 17. The raising column 17 can prevent the material boat 13 from adhering to the bottom of the furnace tube 8.

[0044] A heating and heat preservation device is provided at the lower part of the tellurium dioxide collector 2 to heat it. The tellurium dioxide collector 2 is designed to prevent backflow.

[0045] The absorption device 3 is a two-stage absorption device. The first-stage absorption device uses a 0.1-0.5 mol / l sodium hydroxide solution to absorb iodine vapor, and the second-stage absorption device uses a 0.1-1 mol / l sodium hydroxide solution to absorb iodine vapor.

[0046] The tail gas treatment device 4 is a relatively large iodine vapor absorption device 3, which absorbs the tail gas with a 0.5-5 mol / l sodium hydroxide solution, thereby ensuring that the iodine-131 tail gas is completely absorbed.

[0047] The controller 5 is also included, and the controller 5 is electrically connected to the heating wire of the heating furnace body 7.

[0048] The dry distillation device for producing iodine-131 of the present invention utilizes 130 Te(n,γ) 131 Te(β-) 131 I nuclear physics reaction and the difference in sublimation temperature between iodine and its compounds and tellurium and its compounds, through the dry distillation method of controlling the heating temperature, iodine vapor is obtained from the activated tellurium dioxide raw material, and is absorbed by the steam absorption device 3 at the rear end to generate medical Na 131 I solution product.

[0049] The workflow of the device of the present invention is as follows:

[0050] First, a robot is used to close the furnace cover 11. The carrier gas enters the air inlet pipe 14 through the ground-mouth air inlet pipe 16. The device automatically detects the airtightness of the entire system. After passing the airtightness test, the robot is used to open the furnace cover 11. The quartz boat containing a certain mass of irradiated target material is hoisted into the constant temperature zone of the furnace tube 8 as required. The robot is then used to close the furnace cover 11. The heating furnace body 7 begins to heat, and the furnace chamber heats up. When the temperature rises to about 750°C, the tellurium dioxide melts, releasing tellurium dioxide vapor and iodine vapor. The carrier gas carries the mixed gas through the outlet pipe 6 to the tellurium dioxide collector 2. The temperature of the tellurium dioxide collector 2 is heated to 100°C. The tellurium dioxide vapor condenses in the tellurium dioxide collector 2, and the iodine vapor continues to pass into the absorption device 3. After the reaction is complete, the retort furnace 1 begins to cool down. Once the retort furnace 1 reaches room temperature, the furnace cover 11 is opened using a robot. The quartz boat is lifted out of the furnace tube 8 as required, and the furnace cover 11 is removed using a robot. The above process is repeated to continue production. When the furnace needs to be shut down, the addition of materials is stopped. After the retort is completed, the furnace is shut down and cooled.

[0051] The embodiment of the present invention provides a new dry-process iodine-131 preparation device, which has a simple structure, is easy to operate, and has fewer leakage points;

[0052] The iodine-131 preparation method provided by the embodiment of the present invention has high production efficiency, large workload and low radiation dose.

[0053] The present invention solves the shortcomings of the traditional dry distillation device design for preparing iodine-131, lays the foundation for long-term large-scale preparation of iodine-131, and promotes the localization of iodine-131 raw materials.

[0054] The above specific implementation methods further illustrate the objectives, technical solutions and beneficial effects of the present invention in detail. It should be understood that the above are only specific implementation methods of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A device for producing iodine-131, characterized in that: It comprises a retort (1), a tellurium dioxide collector (2), an absorption device (3), and a tail gas treatment device (4) which are connected in sequence; The retort (1) comprises a heating furnace body (7), a furnace tube (8), a furnace cover (11), an air inlet pipeline, an air outlet pipeline (6), and a material boat (13); the furnace tube (8) is arranged in the middle of the heating furnace body (7); the furnace cover (11) covers the heating furnace body (7) and forms a seal with the opening of the furnace tube (8); the air inlet pipeline enters the heating furnace body (7) and is connected with the furnace tube (8); one end of the air outlet pipeline (6) is connected with the furnace tube (8) and the other end passes through the heating furnace body (7); the material boat (13) is movably placed in the furnace tube (8); and the air outlet pipeline (6) of the retort (1) is connected with the tellurium dioxide collector (2).

2. A device for producing iodine-131 according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heat-insulating layer (15) is provided inside the heating furnace body (7), and a heat-insulating fiber layer (10) is provided inside the furnace cover (11).

3. A device for producing iodine-131 according to claim 1, characterized in that: The furnace cover (11) is provided with a moving handle (9), and the material boat (13) is provided with a lifting handle (12).

4. A device for producing iodine-131 according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air intake pipeline comprises an air intake pipe (14) and an air intake ground-mouth pipe (16); the air intake pipe (14) is connected to the furnace pipe (8); one end of the air intake ground-mouth pipe (16) is connected to the air intake pipe (14) and the other end passes through the heating furnace body (7).

5. The device for producing iodine-131 according to claim 1, characterized in that: A heightening column (17) is fixedly provided inside the furnace tube (8), and the material boat (13) is placed on the heightening column (17).

6. The device for producing iodine-131 according to claim 1, characterized in that: The furnace tube (8) and the material boat (13) are both made of quartz.

7. The device for producing iodine-131 according to claim 1, characterized in that: The absorption device (3) is a two-stage absorption device.

8. The device for producing iodine-131 according to claim 7, characterized in that: In the two-stage absorption, a 0.1-0.5 mol / l sodium hydroxide solution is used for the first-stage absorption to absorb the iodine vapor, and a 0.1-1 mol / l sodium hydroxide solution is used for the second-stage absorption to absorb the iodine vapor.

9. The device for producing iodine-131 according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tail gas treatment device (4) is an iodine vapor absorption device (3).

10. The device for producing iodine-131 according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a controller (5), wherein the controller (5) is electrically connected to the heating furnace body (7).

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