SBIR-STTR Award

Phase I addresses a new approach for the design of high power nuclear targets used for production of radioisotopes by high energy charged particle beams, notably high energy protons. Such targets will yield larger quantities of radioactive species than presently available, either for basic research (e.g., studies using radioactive beams) or for applied purposes (e.g., production of medical radioisotopes). There is a need, especially for the production of short-lived radioisotopes, to develop nuclear targets that optimize production of isotopes in the vapor state. This allows on line collection and processing, thus greatly improving the net production efficiency for a given high energy particle beam. This improvement will be achieved by the ability to set the target operating temperature to optimize the diffusion and desorption of the radioisotope species of interest. To this effect, the feasibility of a new target design, utilizing thermal impedance materials such as porous metals and woven wire meshes interposed between the target chamber proper and the cooling jacket will be studied. Such an approach has attractive features for controlling the transport of heat, and has been proposed in initial concepts for a radioactive beam facility at TRIUMF (Vancouver, B.C., Canada). Successful completion of Phase I will lead to the production of a target prototype to be tested at an existing accelerator facility. Anticipated Results /Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee:The anticipated results of this project are to provide a design basis for target development, to be used in follow-on tests at a high current accelerator, and to provide design options that allow target designs to be developed for a wide range of target operating temperatures. Potential commercial applications include the production of short-lived medical radioisotopes and the potential for on line conventional medical isotope production and separation.