Annular Irradiation Targets With Spine-Based Debundling Tool
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for a timely process to produce titanium-molybdate-99 material suitable for use in Tc-99m generators, as Mo-99 has a short half-life and production sites are limited, necessitating efficient production and processing of irradiation targets.
Innovation Solution
An irradiation target system comprising annular plates retained on a rigid spine with a debundling tool for disassembly, utilizing a gripper assembly, twister assembly, and slide portion to efficiently separate the plates for further processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If irradiation targets are produced and processed efficiently to minimize time loss due to Mo-99's short half-life, then the productivity and timeliness of Tc-99m generator production is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the need for specialized irradiation target systems and debundling tools
Solution Approach 1:
The irradiation target is divided into multiple annular plates stacked along a central spine, allowing each plate to be processed independently. The debundling tool further segments the target by separating individual plates from the stack, enabling parallel processing and reducing overall processing time while maintaining manageable complexity through modular design
Solution Approach 2:
The irradiation target is pre-assembled with a rigid spine and flange portions that extend beyond the annular plates, creating built-in attachment points for the debundling tool. This preliminary structuring allows for rapid disassembly without requiring complex external fixtures, improving processing speed while keeping the device design straightforward
2Loss of time
If the irradiation target is designed for rapid disassembly to minimize handling time, then the loss of time is reduced, but the device complexity increases due to additional components like flange portions and tab portions
Solution Approach 1:
The irradiation target separates the functional components (annular plates) from the structural components (spine, flange, tab), allowing the plates to be quickly removed and processed independently. This segmentation reduces handling time while keeping each component simple in design
Solution Approach 2:
The flange portion and tab portion are extracted as separate attachment features from the main target structure. These extracted components serve solely as interfaces for the debundling tool, enabling rapid disassembly without adding complexity to the core irradiation function of the annular plates
3Manufacturing precision
If the debundling tool is designed with a slide portion having a circular aperture smaller than the outer diameter of the annular plates, then the manufacturing precision and control of plate separation is improved, but the device complexity increases due to the specialized aperture design
Solution Approach 1:
The slide portion features a localized circular aperture with a specific diameter smaller than the annular plates, creating a precise interaction point for plate separation. This localized precision feature enables controlled handling while the rest of the debundling tool maintains a simple, robust structure
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the aperture larger than the plates and using external constraints for precision, the invention inverts the approach by making the aperture smaller and using the plate's own geometry to provide the constraining surfaces. This inversion simplifies the overall tool design while maintaining high precision
Data Source
AI summary
An irradiation target system having an irradiation target with at least one annular plate defining a central opening and including an elongated body, a flange portion, and a tab portion, wherein the flange portion extends beyond a first end of the plurality of plates, a target debundling tool, having a base plate, a gripper assembly affixed to the base plate, and a twister assembly including a housing defining a target bore configured to receive the target therein, and a slide portion that is slidably and non-rotatably mounted to the housing at a bottom end of the target bore.