Targetry coupled separations

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12002596-B2
Application number	US-202117533264-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 23, 2021
Priority date	Dec 29, 2014
Publication date	Jun 4, 2024
Grant date	Jun 4, 2024

Abstract

Targetry coupled separation refers to enhancing the production of a predetermined radiation product through the selection of a target (including selection of the target material and the material's physical structure) and separation chemistry in order to optimize the recovery of the predetermined radiation product. This disclosure describes systems and methods for creating (through irradiation) and removing one or more desired radioisotopes from a target and further describes systems and methods that allow the same target to undergo multiple irradiations and separation operations without damage to the target. In contrast with the prior art that requires complete dissolution or destruction of a target before recovery of any irradiation products, the repeated reuse of the same physical target allowed by targetry coupled separation represents a significant increase in efficiency and decrease in cost over the prior art.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a radionuclide metal that is a fission product of the fissioning of uranium, the method comprising:
fissioning a molten fuel salt containing uranium, thereby generating an irradiated fuel salt mixture containing molten uranium salt and fission products, wherein the fission products include the radionuclide metal;
contacting at least some of the irradiated fuel salt mixture with supercritical carbon dioxide containing a ligand that forms a metal complex with the radionuclide metal but does not form a metal complex with the uranium in the fuel salt, thereby forming a combined fuel salt and supercritical carbon dioxide mixture containing an amount of radionuclide metal complexes;
separating at least some of the radionuclide metal complexes from the combined fuel salt and supercritical carbon dioxide mixture; and
decomposing the radionuclide metal complexes to obtain the radionuclide metal.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting further comprises:
removing the irradiated fuel salt mixture from a molten fuel salt nuclear reactor;
placing the irradiated fuel salt mixture in an extraction vessel; and
injecting the supercritical carbon dioxide containing the ligand into the extraction vessel.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the contacting further comprises:
placing the irradiated fuel salt mixture into the extraction vessel containing supercritical carbon dioxide containing the ligand.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the separating further comprises:
adjusting at least one of a temperature or a pressure of the combined fuel salt and supercritical carbon dioxide mixture in an extraction vessel.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the adjusting further comprises:
increasing the temperature, the pressure, or both to volatilize the radionuclide metal complexes out of the combined fuel salt and supercritical carbon dioxide mixture as a separate gas phase.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the separating further comprises:
removing the separate gas phase from the extraction vessel.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the decomposing further comprises:
heating the separate gas phase, thereby decomposing the radionuclide metal complexes.

8. The method of claim 4 , wherein the adjusting further comprises:
decreasing the temperature, the pressure, or both to obtain a liquid phase separate from the combined fuel salt and supercritical carbon dioxide mixture, the liquid phase containing the radionuclide metal complexes.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the separating further comprises:
removing the liquid phase from the extraction vessel.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the decomposing further comprises:
heating the liquid phase, thereby decomposing the radionuclide metal complexes.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the radionuclide metal is selected from 227 Ac, 213 Bi, 131 Cs, 133 Cs, 11 C, 51 Cr, 57 Co, 60 Co, 64 Cu, 67 Cu, 165 Dy, 169 Er, 18 F, 67 Ga, 68 Ga, 68 Ge, 198 Au, 166 Ho, 111 In, 123 I, 124 I, 125 I, 131 I, 192 I, 59 Fe, 212 Pb, 177 Lu, 99 Mo, 13 N, 15 O, 103 Pd, 32 P, 238 Pu, 42 K, 227 Ra, 223 Ra, 186 Re, 188 Re, 81 Rb, 82 Rb, 101 Ru, 103 Ru, 153 Sm, 75 Se, 24 Na, 82 Sr, 89 Sr, 99 mTc, and 201 Tl.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the molten fuel salt contains a chloride salt of uranium.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting is performed with the irradiated fuel salt mixture in a liquid form.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting is performed with the irradiated fuel salt mixture in a solid form.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the contacting is performed on the irradiated fuel salt mixture while the irradiated fuel salt mixture is in a molten fuel salt nuclear reactor.

16. A method of manufacturing 177 Lu radioisotope comprised of:
preparing an enriched dry 176 Yb oxide source material within a pressurized containment vessel;
irradiating the 176 Yb oxide containing source with neutrons at suitable neutron flux density to achieve reaction of 176 Yb to 177 Yb via the reaction 176 Yb(n,γ) 177 Yb will decay to 177 Lu by the reaction 177 Yb→ 177 Lu+β − with half-life of 1.91 h;
injecting the pressurized containment vessel containing the irradiated 176 Yb oxide source with supercritical carbon dioxide containing a ligand that selectively forms a metal complex with the lutetium but does not form a metal complex with the ytterbium, thereby forming a supercritical carbon dioxide mixture containing an amount of lutetium metal complexes;
removing the supercritical carbon dioxide mixture containing an amount of lutetium metal complexes; and
separating at least some of the radionuclide lutetium complexes from the supercritical carbon dioxide mixture to provide a 177 Lu rich separation fraction.

17. A method of manufacturing 67 Cu radioisotope comprised of:
packing an enriched 70 Zn oxide source material in an appropriate a cavity within an irradiation target box;
irradiating the 70 Zn source with 15-20 MeV of deuterons), yielding 67 Cu via the reaction 70 Zn(p,α) 67 Cu with estimated cross-sections of 67 Cu formation of 15-27 mb;
contacting the 70 Zn oxide target with supercritical carbon dioxide containing a ligand that selectively forms a metal complex with the copper but does not form a metal complex with the zinc oxide, thereby forming a supercritical carbon dioxide mixture containing an amount of radionuclide metal complexes;
separating at least some of the radionuclide metal complexes from the combined radionuclide and supercritical carbon dioxide mixture;
separating the radionuclide from the combined radionuclide and supercritical carbon dioxide mixture; and
purifying the 67 Cu radionuclide.

Assignees

• Terrapower Llc

Inventors

• Czerwinski Ken
• Walter Joshua C
• Dunckley Christopher P

Classifications

• G21G2001/0089

  Actinium · CPC title

• B01D15/40

  using supercritical fluid as mobile phase or eluent · CPC title

• G01N35/02

  using a plurality of sample containers moved by a conveyor system past one or more treatment or analysis stations {(G01N35/0098 and G01N35/0099 take precedence)} · CPC title

• G21G1/02 Primary

  in nuclear reactors (by thermonuclear reactions G21B; conversion of nuclear fuel G21C) · CPC title

• B01D11/0203

  with a supercritical fluid · CPC title