SBIR-STTR Award

One of the main thrusts of U.S. DOE investment, and a major tool of nuclear research, is the Rare Isotope Beams Accelerator. The proposed research addresses the development of a new ion source for producing such beams by replacing primary accelerators with the Plasma Focus machine. The new Rare Isotopes breeder, will produce very intense beams, larger by a factor of the thousands, and accordingly will save time for experiments, and in some situations will permit study of problems not possible otherwise. Last decades Plasma Focus Fusion Program used yields of radioactive nuclei production as a diagnostic tool. The current proposal will use the technology of focused discharges for the development, construction and installation of a Rare Isotopes breeder for the accelerator at the Oak Ridge National Laboratories - leader in nuclear research with Rare Isotopes Beams. As a result of Phase-I work, the following products are expected: (i) selection of Rare Isotopes that can be produced with Plasma Focus breeder and with flux satisfactory for ORNL program as well as the Positron Emission Tomography imaging biomedical community, (ii) identification of the first important Isotope to be bread in a DEMO-experiment and the conceptual design of a Plasma Focus machine that will meet such breeding parameters, and (iii) experimental tests of Rare Isotope retrieval from the breeding chamber.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
Two fold commercial applications are identified: (a) Rare Isotopes Beams source used in nuclear research. Due to low cost (four times) of the breeder and higher intensity of ions (thousands times), as compared to the current and projected beam intensity, will increase the capabilities of ORNL and open research in at least six university accelerators, two National Labs. in US and many other international research centers. (b) Biomedicine and PET-scan. The cost for production (with Plasma Focus) of short live radioisotopes (11C, 13N, 15O, 18F) used in medical diagnostics will be three times lower and with increased radiation safety and lower maintenance costs, as compared to current systems using cyclotrons. This will open up accessibility to PET scanning technology. The projected number of PET centers is expected to double by 2003 to 250 in the U.S. and 175 abroad. We intend to market our Rare Isotopes ion source and dominate medical market for short-lived isotopes, providing fast delivery of 18F-based tracers; and installing and providing services at hospitals/centers using 11C, 13N, 15O.

This project will develop a new ion source for producing rare isotope (RI) beams, used in nuclear physics research, by replacing primary accelerators with the Plasma Focus (PF) machine. The PF Rare Isotopes breeder should produce very intense beams (1010RI/s), be larger by a factor of thousands, save time for experiments, and permit study of problems not otherwise possible. In Phase I, experiments proved 90-95% evacuation of RI from the PF chamber, consistent with the model increase of RI breeding when energy storage was upgraded from W=7kJ to W =18kJ (quadratic increase of breeding with W). Theoretical work estimated that to satisfy the needs of the accelerator at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the leader in nuclear research with Rare Isotopes Beams, the PF machine should have W =75kJ with 2 Hz pulse repetition rate. Phase II will build the PF machine (W =50kJ) to operate in single pulse mode (0.1 Hz) and demonstrate RI breeding efficiency for 17F and other RI. The efficiency of the RI extraction and delivery to external storage will be demonstrated.

Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee:
Commercial applications include rare isotopes beams used in nuclear/astrophysical research, biomedicine, and PET–scan. With Plasma Focus the cost of production, of short live radioisotopes (11C, 13N, 15O, 18F) used in medical diagnostics should be three times lower. Additional competitive advantages, compared to current systems using cyclotrons, include no neutron radiation, no radio-material waste along the reprocessing line, and lower maintenance costs.