Apparatus for crushing an ampoule containing a radioisotope

Abstract

Apparatus for crushing an ampoule made of glassy material and containing a radioisotope, the apparatus (1) having a deformable tube (7) suitable for receiving the ampoule (2), a clamping device (13) for creating a bottleneck in the tube (7) so as to stop the ampoule (2) in the tube (7) in a crushing position, and a crushing device (20) for crushing the ampoule (2) at the crushing position. The crushing device (20) has a sonotrode (21), an actuator (22) for moving the sonotrode (21) to and from a contact position, wherein the sonotrode (21) is in contact with a portion of the outer surface of the tube (7) such that a corresponding portion of the inner surface of the tube (7) contacts the ampoule (2) at the cushing position, and an ultrasonic generator (23) to apply vibrations at ultrasonic frequencies to the sonotrode (21) when the latter is in the contact position so as to crush the ampoule (2) inside the tube (7).

Description

[0001] "APPARATUS FOR CRUSHING AN AMPOULE CONTAINING A RADIOISOTOPE"

[0002] Cross-Reference To Related Applications

[0003] This patent application claims priority from Italian patent application no . 102023000027240 filed on December 19 , 2023 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .

[0004] Technical field

[0005] The present invention relates to an apparatus for crushing an ampoule containing a radioisotope .

[0006] In particular, the present invention is advantageously but not exclusively applied to the production of radiopharmaceuticals , to which the following description will explicitly refer without thereby losing generality .

[0007] Background

[0008] Radiopharmaceutical production methods are known which envisage inserting a target material inside an ampoule of glassy material , for example pyrex, i . e . , a material comprising a maj ority percentage of quartz , sealingly closing the ampoule with a cap of the same glassy material , exposing the ampoule to an ionising radiation inside a reactor to produce a radioisotope and, inside the working chamber of an isolator shielded from the ionising radiation, mechanically crushing the ampoule by means of a special apparatus for the subsequent extraction of the radioisotope .

[0009] In particular, the apparatus used for mechanically crushing the ampoule comprises a tube of plastic material arranged vertically to receive the ampoule , a clamping device for stopping the ampoule at a certain position in the tube and a movable mechanical pusher for mechanically compressing the tube from the outside at the ampoule until the ampoule is crushed . The fragments of the ampoule and the contents thereof are conveyed along the tube to a bottle containing an acid to allow the fragments to dissolve . The obtained solution, made of glassy material dissolved in acid and radioisotope , is finally brought to a puri fication apparatus for the extraction of the radioisotope .

[0010] The tube is washed with acid upon each ampoule breaking to recover amounts of radioisotope remaining stuck along the inner surface of the tube . It is thereby possible to reuse the tube for a subsequent ampoule .

[0011] However, the mechanical compression is not repeatable , i . e . , it does not always produce an optimal breaking of the ampoule from the point of view of the fragment si ze distribution due to various factors , such as the si ze of the ampoule , the shape of the ampoule , the thickness of the glassy material of the ampoule , which require a mechanical force which cannot be precisely adj usted on the mechanical pusher . Furthermore , the ampoule fragments pressed against the tube of the mechanical compression can easily crack or cut the tube and the cracking or cutting of the tube would compromise the subsequent tube washing step, going to disperse radioisotope and acid inside the working chamber of the shielded isolator . The known solution for overcoming this problem is the frequent replacement of the tube , with a consequent lengthening of the production times of a certain amount of radioisotope and an increase in production costs .

[0012] Summary

[0013] The obj ect of the present invention is to make an apparatus for crushing an ampoule containing a radioisotope to be used in a radioisotope production system, which apparatus is free from the drawbacks described above and, at the same time , is easy and economical to make .

[0014] In accordance with the present invention, an apparatus is provided for crushing an ampoule made of a glassy material and containing a radioisotope for a radioisotope production system, according to what is defined in the appended claims .

[0015] The claims describe preferred embodiments of the present invention to be considered an integral part of the present description .

[0016] Brief description of the drawings

[0017] The present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings , which illustrate a non-limiting embodiment thereof , wherein :

[0018] - Figure 1 illustrates , according to a side view, the apparatus of the present invention for crushing an ampoule made of glassy material and containing a radioisotope , during a first operating step ; and

[0019] - Figure 2 illustrates the apparatus of Figure 1 during a second operating step .

[0020] Description of embodiments

[0021] In Figures 1 and 2 , 1 generically indicates , as a whole , an apparatus for crushing an ampoule 2 of oblong shape , which is made of glassy material and contains a certain amount of a radioisotope . The apparatus 1 can be positioned inside the working chamber of a shielded isolator, known per se and therefore not illustrated, forming part of a radioisotope production system . The glassy material of the ampoule comprises a maj ority percentage of quartz , for example 90% quartz . The ampoule 2 comprises an elongated cup-shaped body and a cap made of the same glassy material .

[0022] The apparatus 1 comprises a main frame 3 , which is fixed on a floor 4 of the working chamber of the shielded isolator and has a support plane 5 , a secondary frame 6 , which is fixed on the support plane 5 , and a tube 7 of deformable material , for example plastic material , suitable for receiving the ampoule 2 and supported by the secondary frame 6 . In particular, the secondary frame 6 is provided with a support body 8 , which has a funnel 9 ( Figure 1 ) and supports the tube 7 with a first end 10 of the tube 7 centred below the funnel 9 . The apparatus 1 comprises a cap 11 for preventing access to the end 10 of the tube 7 .

[0023] With particular reference to Figure 1 , the cap 11 has a lower portion 12 in the shape of a truncated cone to engage the funnel 9 and therefore close the end 10 of the tube 7 .

[0024] The apparatus 1 comprises a clamping device 13 mounted on the secondary frame 6 for reversibly tightening and deforming the tube 7 so as to create a bottleneck in the tube 7 which stops the ampoule 2 in a crushing position, illustrated in Figure 2 . In particular, the support body 8 supports the tube 7 so that the latter has at least one portion 14 oriented vertically, along which the ampoule 2 can descend by gravity . The clamping device 13 is mounted on the secondary frame 6 so as to create the bottleneck which stops the descent of the ampoule 2 and thus define the crushing position in the portion 14 of the tube 7 . Thanks to the deformability of the tube 7 , the creation of the bottleneck is reversible , i . e . , when the clamping device 13 is controlled in the opposite manner, the tube 7 regains its shape .

[0025] Advantageously, the clamping device 13 comprises a clamp 15 , which transversely hugs the tube 7 and is configured to tighten the tube 7 , creating the bottleneck, and release the tube 7 . The clamping device 13 comprises an actuator 16 for moving the clamp 15 , and in particular for closing the clamp 15 so as to create the bottleneck in the tube 7 ( Figure 2 ) and for opening the clamp 15 so that the tube 7 returns to its original shape and the bottleneck disappears ( Figure 1 ) . The actuator 16 is for example of pneumatic type .

[0026] The apparatus 1 comprises a bottle 17 which can be placed on the floor 4 and the tube 7 passes through an opening (not illustrated) in the support plane 5 so that a second end 18 of the tube 7 enters the bottle 17 . The support plane 5 is provided with a retaining element 19 for holding at least the portion 13 in an upright vertical position so as to facilitate the descent by gravity of the ampoule 2 towards the crushing position . In the example illustrated by Figures 1 and 2 , the retaining element 19 and the support body 8 are configured to hold the entire tube 7 oriented vertically .

[0027] The apparatus 1 comprises a crushing device 20 for crushing the ampoule 2 when it is in the crushing position . The crushing device 20 is mounted on the support plane 5 and comprises a sonotrode 21 movable along an axis 21a thereof which is transverse to the tube 7 at the crushing position, an actuator 22 for moving the sonotrode along the direction 21a, and an ultrasonic generator 23 , which is of known type and is connected in a known manner to the sonotrode 21 for applying vibrations and ultrasonic frequencies to the sonotrode 21 .

[0028] The actuator 22 is suitable for moving the sonotrode 21 to and from a contact position, illustrated in Figure 2 , wherein the sonotrode 21 is in contact with an outer surface portion of the tube 7 , and in particular of the portion 14 , so that a corresponding portion of the inner surface of the tube 7 , and in particular of the portion 14 , contacts the ampoule 2 when the latter is in the crushing position . For example , the actuator 22 is of pneumatic type . The ultrasonic generator 23 can be controlled to apply vibrations at ultrasonic frequencies to the sonotrode 21 when the latter is in the contact position so as to crush the ampoule 2 inside the tube 7 .

[0029] The apparatus 1 comprises a control panel 24 which can be controlled by an operator to control the clamping device 13 , and in particular the actuator 16 , so as to close and open the clamp 15 and to control the crushing device 20 so as to perform the crushing of the ampoule 2 .

[0030] In particular, the control panel 24 is configured to control the crushing device 20 automatically according to the following logic : it activates the actuator 22 so as to move the sonotrode 21 forward to the contact position ( Figure 2 ) and maintain it in that position for a certain time interval ; it activates the ultrasonic generator 23 when the sonotrode 21 is in the contact pos ition; at the end of said time interval , it activates the actuator 22 to move the sonotrode 20 backwards , moving it away from the contact position .

[0031] In use , the operator controls the clamping device 13 through the control panel 24 so as to close the clamp 15 to create the bottleneck in the tube 7 , removes the cap 11 from the support body 8 and inserts the ampoule 2 through the funnel 9 . The ampoule 2 descends into the tube 7 until it stops in the bottleneck, i . e . , in the crushing position .

[0032] At this point , the operator controls the crushing device 20 through the control panel 24 to perform the crushing of the ampoule 2 .

[0033] At the end of the crushing, the operator control s the clamping device 13 through the control panel 24 to open the clamp 15 and release the tube 7 so that the fragments of glassy material of the ampoule 2 and the amount of radioisotope which was contained in the ampoule 2 can descend along the tube 7 until falling into the bottle 17 .

[0034] Through capillaries not illustrated, the bottle 17 is filled with an acidic solution capable of dissolving the fragments of glassy material . The final solution obtained is brought to a puri fication apparatus of known type for the extraction of the radioisotope .

[0035] The main advantages of the apparatus 1 described above are an optimal crushing of the ampoule 2 , i . e . , a more uni form fragment si ze distribution, which makes the subsequent dissolution step more efficient , and a strong reduction of the cracks and cuts of the tube 7 during the crushing .

Claims

C L A I M S1. Apparatus for crushing an ampoule made of a glassy material and containing a radioisotope, for a radioisotope production system, the apparatus (1) comprising a tube (7) made of a deformable material and suitable for receiving the ampoule (2) , a clamping device (13) for creating a bottleneck in the tube (7) so as to stop the ampoule (2) in the tube (7) at a crushing position, and a crushing device (20) for crushing the ampoule (2) at the crushing position; the apparatus (1) being characterized in that the crushing device (20) comprises a sonotrode (21) , an actuator (22) for moving the sonotrode (21) to and from a contact position, wherein the sonotrode (21) is in contact with a portion of the outer surface of the tube (7) such that a corresponding portion of the inner surface of the tube (7) contacts the ampoule (2) at the crushing position, and an ultrasonic generator (23) to apply vibrations at ultrasonic frequencies to the sonotrode (21) when the latter is in the contact position so as to crush the ampoule (2) inside the tube (7) .

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the clamping device (13) comprises a clamp (15) , which transversely hugs the tube (7) and is configured to tighten and release the tube (7) .

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, comprising a frame (6) for supporting the tube (7) so that it has at least one vertical portion (14) and the clamping device (13) is mounted on the frame (6) so as to define the crushing position in the vertical portion (14) .

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein said glassy material comprises a majority percentage of quartz.

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