Production assemblies and removable target assemblies for isotope production

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017004898-A1
Application number	US-201514754878-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 30, 2015
Priority date	Jun 30, 2015
Publication date	Jan 5, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Production assembly for an isotope production system. The production assembly includes a mounting platform including a receiving stage that faces an exterior of the mounting platform. The mounting platform includes a beam passage that opens to the receiving stage and a stage port that is positioned along the receiving stage. A particle beam is configured to project through the beam passage and through the receiving stage during operation of the isotope production system. The stage port is configured to provide or receive a fluid through the receiving stage during operation of the isotope production system. The production assembly also includes a target assembly having a production chamber configured to hold a target material for isotope production. The target assembly includes a mating side that is configured to removably engage the receiving stage during a mounting operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A production assembly for an isotope production system, the production assembly comprising:
a mounting platform including a receiving stage that faces an exterior of the mounting platform, the mounting platform including a beam passage that opens to the receiving stage and a stage port that is positioned along the receiving stage and separate from the beam passage, wherein a particle beam is configured to project through the beam passage and through the receiving stage during operation of the isotope production system, and wherein the stage port is configured to provide or receive a fluid through the receiving stage during operation of the isotope production system; and a target assembly having a production chamber configured to hold a target material for isotope production, the target assembly including a mating side that is configured to removably engage the receiving stage during a mounting operation, the mating side including a target port and a beam cavity that is aligned with the production chamber, the target port being in flow communication with a body channel that extends through the target assembly, wherein the target port fluidically couples to the stage port and the beam passage aligns with the beam cavity as the target assembly is mounted to the receiving stage.

2 . The production assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounting platform includes a platform base and a stage adapter that is secured to the platform base and includes the receiving stage, the stage adapter including an insulative adapter body that is positioned between the platform base and the target assembly and electrically separates the platform base and the target assembly during operation, the stage adapter including the stage port and a portion of the beam passage.

3 . The production assembly of claim 2 , wherein the mounting platform includes a sealing member positioned within the beam passage and the target assembly includes a target neck that is configured to project into the beam passage when the target assembly is mounted to the mounting platform, the sealing member surrounding the target neck within the beam passage.

4 . The production assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a locking device having a movable actuator that is coupled to one of the mounting platform or the target assembly, the movable actuator configured to be engaged by the other of the mounting platform or the target assembly during the mounting operation thereby causing the movable actuator to move to a locked position, the locking device holding the target assembly against the mounting platform when the movable actuator is in the locked position.

5 . The production assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounting platform includes an electrical contact positioned along the receiving stage and the target assembly includes an electrical contact positioned along the mating side, the electrical contact of the target assembly being electrically coupled to a surface that defines the production chamber, the electrical contacts of the mounting platform and the target assembly engaging each other during the mounting operation.

6 . The production assembly of claim 1 , wherein the stage port is an outlet stage port and the mounting platform further comprises an inlet stage port, and wherein the target port is an inlet target port and the target assembly further comprises an outlet target port, the outlet stage port and the inlet target port configured to be fluidically coupled to each other when the target assembly is mounted to the receiving stage and the inlet stage port and the outlet target port configured to be fluidically coupled to each other when the target assembly is mounted to the receiving stage, wherein the outlet stage port is configured to be in flow communication with the inlet stage port through the target assembly when the target assembly is mounted to the receiving stage.

7 . The production assembly of claim 6 , wherein the target assembly includes a cooling channel that flows proximate to the production chamber to absorb thermal energy therefrom, the outlet stage port being in flow communication with the inlet stage port through the cooling channel.

8 . The production assembly of claim 6 , wherein the outlet stage port is in flow communication with the inlet stage port through the production chamber.

9 . The production assembly of claim 1 , wherein the mounting platform includes a plurality of the receiving stages, each of the receiving stages capable of removably engaging, at separate times, the target assembly.

10 . A removable target assembly for isotope production, the removable target assembly comprising:
a target body having a production chamber configured to hold a target material, the target body including a beam cavity that is configured to receive a particle beam from outside of the target body, the beam cavity being positioned such that the particle beam is incident upon the target material in the production chamber when the particle beam extends along a designated axis; wherein the target body has an exterior mating side that is configured to removably engage a mounting platform, the target body having an inlet target port and an outlet target port that are in flow communication through a body channel and are positioned along the mating side, the beam cavity having a cavity opening positioned along the mating side, wherein the cavity opening, the inlet target port, and the outlet target port are configured to operatively couple to the mounting platform when the mating side is mounted onto the mounting platform in a direction that is parallel to the designated axis.

11 . The removable target assembly of claim 10 , wherein the target body includes a target neck and a front surface, the target neck projecting from the front surface in the direction that is parallel to the designated axis, the mating side including the target neck and the front surface.

12 . The removable target assembly of claim 11 , wherein the target neck includes a neck recess that opens radially outward and is sized and shaped to receive a locking feature of the mounting platform.

13 . The removable target assembly of claim 10 , wherein the cavity opening, the inlet target port, and the outlet target port open in a common direction.

14 . The removable target assembly of claim 10 , wherein the body channel extends around and proximate to the production chamber such that liquid flowing through the body channel removes thermal energy generated within the production chamber.

15 . The removable target assembly of claim 10 , wherein the mating side includes a contact area that is electrically coupled to a surface that defines the production chamber.

16 . A production assembly for an isotope production system, the production assembly comprising:
a mounting platform including a set of receiving stages that are each configured to engage a corresponding target assembly, each of the receiving stages facing an exterior of the mounting platform and having a respective opening to a beam passage, wherein a particle beam is configured to project through the respective opening during operation of the isotope production system, each of the receiving stages including an outlet stage port and an inlet stage port that are positioned along an exterior of the respective receiving stage, and wherein the outlet stage port is configured to provide a fluid through the receiving stage and the inlet stage port is configured to receive the fluid through the receiving stage, wherein the inlet stage port of one of the receiving stages of the set is in flow co

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Parnaste Martin
• Eriksson Tomas
• Larsson Johan
• Bondeson Magnus

Classifications

• H05H6/00 Primary

  Targets for producing nuclear reactions (supports for targets or objects to be irradiated G21K5/08 {; preparation of tritium C01B4/00; targets, e.g. pellets for fusion reactions by laser or charged particles beam injection H05H1/22}) · CPC title

• G21G1/10 Primary

  by bombardment with electrically charged particles (irradiation devices G21K5/00) · CPC title

• H05H2277/116

  Isotope production · CPC title

• G21K5/08 Primary

  Holders for targets or for other objects to be irradiated · CPC title