JP7407097B2 - Radioisotope production equipment and radioisotope production method - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a radioisotope production apparatus and a radioisotope production method.

It is known that radioactive isotopes are used for medical and industrial purposes. Patent Document 1 describes that a radioactive isotope is manufactured by inserting a raw material into an instrumentation tube of a nuclear reactor and irradiating the raw material with neutrons. Patent Document 1 describes that a radioactive isotope is manufactured by moving a holding structure containing a raw material from a pipe of a delivery system to an instrumentation pipe.

Patent No. 5798305

However, since instrumentation tubes are long or curved, improvements are needed to properly insert the holding structure containing the raw material into the instrumentation tube to produce radioactive isotopes. There is room for For example, Patent Document 1 does not disclose the detailed structure of the holding structure, and there is a possibility that the holding structure cannot be properly inserted into the instrumentation tube. Further, in the device described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to move the holding structure from the entrance of the instrumentation tube to the target position.

The present disclosure solves the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a radioisotope production device and a radioisotope production method that can appropriately insert a radioisotope raw material into an instrumentation tube. .

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, a radioisotope production apparatus according to the present disclosure places an RI raw material, which is a raw material for a radioisotope, in a nuclear reactor, and a radioisotope production apparatus for producing a radioisotope. The isotope production apparatus includes a supply section that moves inside an instrumentation tube connected to the nuclear reactor, and a supply section that is attached to the tip of the supply section, and the inside of which is a passage area for the RI raw material of the supply section. The apparatus includes a bag part that is connected to the bag part and can store the RI raw material, and a transport mechanism that transports the RI raw material from the supply part to the bag part.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, a method for producing a radioactive isotope according to the present disclosure includes placing an RI raw material, which is a raw material for a radioactive isotope, in a nuclear reactor, and a radioisotope producing method for producing a radioactive isotope. The method for producing an isotope includes a supply section that moves inside a tube connected to the nuclear reactor, a supply section that is attached to the tip of the supply section, the inside of which is connected to the tip of the supply section, and stores the RI raw material. using a radioisotope production apparatus comprising a radioactive isotope manufacturing apparatus, the supply part is inserted into an instrumentation tube connected to the nuclear reactor, and the tip of the supply part is connected to the neutrons of the nuclear reactor. a step of disposing the RI raw material in a region to be irradiated with a beam and supplying the RI raw material from the tip to the bag part; a part of the bag part to which the RI raw material has been supplied; The method further includes the step of rotating the bag section relative to the supply section, and closing an end of a portion of the bag section to which the RI raw material is supplied, on the supply section side.

According to the present disclosure, a raw material of a radioactive isotope can be appropriately inserted into an instrumentation tube.

FIG. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a nuclear reactor vessel according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating the instrumentation tube. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the radioisotope production apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of inserting a radioisotope production device into an instrumentation tube. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method for producing a radioisotope. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for explaining the radioisotope production method. FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a radioisotope production apparatus according to another embodiment. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a radioisotope production apparatus according to another embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and if there are multiple embodiments, the present invention may be configured by combining each embodiment.

(reactor vessel)
FIG. 1 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a nuclear reactor vessel according to this embodiment. The reactor vessel 101 according to this embodiment is used in a pressurized water reactor (PWR) of a nuclear power plant. However, the reactor vessel 101 is not limited to being used in a pressurized water reactor, and may be used in, for example, a boiling water reactor. As shown in FIG. 1, the reactor vessel 101 has reactor internals including a fuel assembly 120 inside the reactor vessel main body 101a.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view illustrating the instrumentation tube. Further, a plurality of instrumentation pipes 147A are connected to the reactor vessel body 101a. The instrumentation pipes 147A are arranged at multiple locations in the lower part of the reactor vessel body 101a. The instrumentation tube 147A includes an instrumentation nozzle 146, an in-core instrumentation guide tube 147, a conduit tube 148, and a thimble tube 151. The instrumentation nozzle 146 passes through the lower mirror 101e. The instrumentation nozzle 146 has an in-furnace instrumentation guide tube 147 connected to its upper end inside the furnace, and a conduit tube 148 connected to its lower end outside the furnace. The in-core instrumentation guide pipe 147 is connected to the instrumentation nozzle stub 146 and extends to a region inside the reactor core where the fuel assembly 120 is arranged. The conduit tube 148 is arranged outside the reactor vessel body 101a and is connected to the instrumentation nozzle 146 and the seal table 156. The thimble tube 151 is a tube inserted into the conduit tube 148, the instrumentation nozzle 146, and the in-furnace instrumentation guide tube 147. A neutron flux detector (not shown) capable of measuring neutron flux is inserted through the thimble tube 151 . The thimble tube 151 can be inserted into the conduit tube 148, the instrumentation nozzle 146, and the in-core instrumentation guide tube 147 to the region where the fuel assembly 120 is arranged.

A neutron flux detector is inserted into the instrumentation tube 147A. The instrumentation tube 147A extends to the reactor core 129, so that the inserted neutron flux detector is exposed to the neutron flux and detects the neutron flux.

As shown in FIG. 2, conduit tube 148 extends to the outside of reactor vessel 101. In the reactor containment vessel 100, a piping chamber 155 is formed below the reactor vessel 101. The plurality of conduit tubes 148 are pulled out from the instrumentation nozzle 146 in the lower mirror 101e to the outside of the reactor vessel 101, curved through the piping chamber 155, and then routed upward. It is fixed at 156. Thimble tube 151 is inserted from the end of this fixed conduit tube 148. A neutron flux detector is inserted into this thimble tube 151.

The seal table 156 is formed into a plate shape, and is fixed with the end of the conduit tube 148 passed through from the bottom to the top. A plurality of conduit tubes 148 are arranged in a forest from the upper surface of the seal table 156.

In this way, the instrumentation tube 147A has a configuration in which the conduit tube 148 is inserted into the thimble tube 151, but is not limited to this, and can be a tube of any shape into which a neutron flux detector or a supply section to be described later is inserted, or a tube of any shape. , it may be a hollow member whose internal space is an elongated passage.

(Radioisotope production equipment)
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the radioisotope production apparatus according to this embodiment. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus 10 according to this embodiment includes a supply section 12, a transport mechanism 14, a bag section 16, and a recovery device 20.

The supply section 12 is a conduit inserted into the instrumentation pipe 147A. The supply section 12 has the rigidity to be movable inside the instrumentation tube 147A into which it is inserted, and the flexibility to deform along the tube. The diameter of the supply section 12 is smaller than that of the thimble tube 151, which is an instrumentation tube to be inserted. The supply unit 12 has a length that allows it to reach the seal table 156 from a predetermined position in the reactor vessel, specifically, from a position where the neutron beam is irradiated. In the supply unit 12 of this embodiment, at least a portion of the pipe line is filled with an RI (Radioisotope) raw material. If the supply unit 12 has a structure in which the inside is filled with the RI raw material, the instrumentation tube 147A is moved with the RI raw material partially filled, and the tip is placed at a predetermined position of the instrumentation tube 147A. The RI raw material filled after reaching the bag portion 16 is supplied. When the supply unit 12 is inserted into the instrumentation pipe 147A, the inside thereof is not filled with RI raw material, and when the tip reaches a predetermined position (the position where the fuel assembly 120 is disposed), the supply unit 12 is inserted into the transport mechanism 14. It may also have a structure that allows the RI raw material supplied from the source to pass therethrough.

(RI raw material)
The RI source is a source of radioactive isotopes. The RI raw material is converted into a radioactive isotope by being exposed to a neutron flux within the instrumentation tube 147A located within the reactor vessel 101. The RI raw material only needs to be transportable by the transport mechanism 14, which will be described later, and may be in the form of a powder or a block formed by baking the powder. Note that the block shape may be any shape, and may be a sphere, a pellet shape, a cylindrical shape, an amorphous shape, or the like. RI raw materials include, for example, molybdenum-98, chromium-50, copper-63, dysprosium-164, erbium-168, holmium-165, iodine-130, iridium-191, iron-58, lutetium-176, palladium-102, It may be at least one of phosphorus-31, potassium-41, rhenium-185, samarium-152, selenium-74, sodium-23, strontium-88, ytterbium-168, ytterbium-176, and yttrium-89. By irradiating these RI raw materials with neutron flux, the radioactive isotopes are molybdenum-99, chromium-51, copper-64, dysprosium-165, erbium-169, holmium-166, and iodine-131, respectively. , Iridium-192, Iron-59, Lutetium-177, Palladium-103, Phosphorus-32, Potassium-42, Rhenium-186, Samarium-153, Selenium-75, Sodium-24, Strontium-89, Ytterbium-169, Ytterbium -177 and yttrium-90 are produced.

The transport mechanism 14 is connected to the proximal end of the supply section 12 and to the end of the instrumentation tube 147A on the seal table 156 side. The transport mechanism 14 transports the RI raw material within the supply section 12 . Specifically, the transport mechanism 14 transports the RI raw material from the supply section 12 to the bag section 16. The transport mechanism 14 transports the RI raw material in the supply section 12 by gas transport. Further, the transport mechanism 14 moves the lid that contacts the RI raw material and closes the pipe inside the supply section 12 to the bag section 16 side, that is, the supply section 12 is used as a cylinder, and the transport mechanism 14 is used as a piston. A mechanism may be used to move the piston toward the bag portion 16 and push out the RI raw material.

The bag section 16 is attached to the tip of the supply section 12, that is, the end opposite to the conveyance mechanism 14. The bag portion 16 has an elongated bag structure with one end open, and the opening is inserted into the outer periphery of the tip of the supply portion 12 . Thereby, the bag part 16 closes the tip of the supply part 12 with the closing surface of the bag, and covers the tip of the supply part 12 with the inner surface. The bag portion 16 is made of a material that does not break even if it is placed in the reactor vessel for a predetermined period of time, for example, several days, and does not melt at the temperature inside the reactor vessel. The bag portion 16 is preferably made of a stretchable material such as rubber, but may be made of a non-stretchable material.

The recovery device 20 recovers the radioisotope filled in the bag portion 16. The recovery device 20 includes a recovery drive source 22, piping 24, and a nozzle 26. The recovery drive source 22 generates power to recover the radioisotope filled in the bag portion 16 . The recovery drive source 22 of this embodiment generates a suction force that adsorbs the radioisotope filled in the bag portion 16 and a drive force that moves the piping 24 and the nozzle 26. Piping 24 connects nozzle 26 and recovery drive source 22 . The piping 24 has the rigidity and flexibility to be movable within the conduit tube 151. The nozzle 26 is a suction port and sucks the radioactive isotope filled in the bag portion 16. In addition, in this embodiment, although the collection|recovery apparatus 20 was provided, the function of the collection|recovery apparatus 20 may be performed by the supply part 12 and the conveyance mechanism 14. That is, the radioisotope production apparatus 10 may include the recovery apparatus 20, the supply section 12, and the transport mechanism 14 as one apparatus.

(Method for producing radioisotope)
Next, a method for radioactive isotope production by radioactivating the RI raw material aggregate using a radioisotope production apparatus will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining a method of inserting a radioisotope production device into an instrumentation tube. FIGS. 5 and 6 are schematic diagrams for explaining the radioisotope production method, respectively. In the radioisotope manufacturing apparatus 10 of this embodiment, the supply section 12 is inserted into the instrumentation tube 147A from the opening at the end of the instrumentation tube 147A protruding from the upper surface of the seal table 156. Specifically, the supply unit 12 is inserted into the thimble tube 151 in which the neutron flux detector is not inserted. That is, the supply section 12 is inserted into the thimble tube 151 (instrumentation tube 147A) for the neutron flux detector. The supply section 12 has a bag section 16 attached to its tip. In this embodiment, as shown in step S12 of FIGS. 4 and 5, by moving the inside of the instrumentation tube 147A, as shown in step S14 of FIG. The tip of the reactor vessel 101 is moved to a predetermined position within the reactor vessel 101. Note that while inserting the RI raw material assembly 12 into the instrumentation tube 147A, it is preferable to create a carbon dioxide atmosphere inside the instrumentation tube 147A.

Next, the radioisotope manufacturing apparatus 10 moves the RI raw material in the supply section 12 to the tip side of the bag section 16 using the transport mechanism 14 . As a result, the RI raw material is discharged from the tip of the supply section 12 and filled into the bag section 16 . As shown in step S16 in FIG. 5, the portion of the bag portion 16 filled with the RI raw material becomes a filling portion 200. The radioisotope production apparatus 10 relatively rotates the filling section 200 and the supply section 12 while filling the filling section 200 with a predetermined amount of RI raw material. Specifically, the supply section 12 is rotated. As a result, the gap between the filling part 200 and the part on the supply part 12 side of the bag part 12 is twisted, a closing part 202 is formed at the end of the filling part 200 on the supply part 12 side, and the filling part 200 is closed. .

The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus 10 sequentially fills the bag portion 16 with the RI raw material and rotates the filling portion 200 and the supply portion 12 relative to each other, using the closing portion 202 of the bag portion 16 as the tip. A structure in which the closing portion 200 and the closing portion 202 are arranged side by side is formed at a predetermined position within the reactor vessel 101. Next, as shown in step S18, the radioisotope manufacturing apparatus 10 supplies gas to the bag 16 until the bag 16 comes into contact with the inner peripheral surface of the instrumentation tube 147A, thereby closing the bag 16. , forming a sealing plug 204. The sealing plug 204 is fixed to the instrumentation tube 147A by coming into contact with the instrumentation tube 147A. Although the sealing plug 204 is used to supply gas, it may also be used to supply RI raw material. After forming the sealing plug 204, the radioisotope manufacturing apparatus 10 extracts the supply section 12 from the instrumentation tube 147A. As a result, the bag portion 16, the filling portion 200 made of the RI raw material, and the sealing plug 204 are arranged inside the instrumentation tube 147A, and the supply portion 12 is not present. In this embodiment, the sealing plug 204 is formed by the bag portion 16, but a separate member, for example, a plate-shaped member that closes the instrumentation tube 147A may be used. Further, a structure for sealing the instrumentation tube 147A may be provided in a part of the distal end side of the supply section 12, and the instrumentation tube 147A may be sealed by inserting the supply section 12.

The radioisotope production apparatus 10 maintains the position of the filling part 200 in a predetermined position with respect to the instrumentation tube 147A with the sealing plug 204, thereby increasing the neutron flux to the radioisotope filled in the filling part 200. is irradiated to produce a radioactive isotope.

In the radioisotope production apparatus 10, the recovery device 20 is inserted into the instrumentation tube 147A, and the recovery device 20 recovers the radioisotope filled in the filling section 200 in which the radioisotope is produced. Specifically, the nozzle 26 of the collection device 20 is moved to the filling section 200, and the nozzle 26 is inserted into the filling section 200 as shown in step S30 in FIG. The recovery device 20 can insert the nozzle 26 into the filling part 200 by making a hole in a part of the filling part 200 with the tip of the nozzle 26 . After inserting the nozzle 26 into the filling section 200, the recovery device 20 drives the recovery drive source 22 and sucks the inside of the filling section 200, thereby sucking the radioactive isotope into the nozzle 26 and the piping 24.

After collecting the radioisotope in the filling part 200, the recovery device 20 brings the nozzle 26 into contact with the closing part 202, and moves the nozzle 26 while rotating it in the opposite direction to the direction in which the closing part 202 was created. As a result, as shown in step S32, the twisting of the blocking portion 202 is resolved, and the nozzle 26 is inserted into the filling portion 200 closer to the distal end. The recovery device 20 recovers radioactive isotopes from all the filling parts 200 in the instrumentation tube 147A. Next, after collecting the bag part, the collection unit 20 takes out the nozzle 26 from the instrumentation pipe 147A.

(effect)
The radioisotope production apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment inserts the supply part 12 holding the RI raw material into the instrumentation tube and moves it to a predetermined position in the reactor vessel 101, and then supplies the RI raw material to the bag part 16. Filling is performed to create a filling part 200. Radioactive isotopes can be manufactured by irradiating the filling part 200 created at a predetermined position within the reactor vessel 101 with a neutron flux. In this way, by manufacturing the structure that irradiates the RI raw material with neutron beams inside the instrumentation tube 147A, it is possible to suppress damage to the structure filled with the RI raw material when the instrumentation tube is moved. Further, in the process of irradiating the filling part 200 with neutron beams, there is no need to arrange the supply part 12 in the instrumentation tube 147A, so it is possible to create an environment in which it is difficult for objects other than the target object to be irradiated with neutron beams. Thereby, the radioactive isotope can be manufactured more suitably.

(Other embodiments)
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a radioisotope production apparatus according to another embodiment. In the bag portion 16a shown in FIG. 5, contraction portions 250 are provided at predetermined intervals in the direction in which the bag structure 240 extends. The contraction part 250 has a ring structure, and when separated from the supply part 12 , it contracts to a diameter smaller than that of the supply part 12 . By providing the contracting part 250, the bag part 16a can use the contracting part 250 as a fulcrum that twists when the filling part and the supply part 12 are rotated relative to each other, and the closing part 202, which is the end of the filling part, can be It can be made easier to form. Furthermore, if the shrinkage section 250 has a structure that can close the filling section, for example, a structure that shrinks to a diameter smaller than that of the RI raw material, the filling section can be closed without relative rotation between the filling section and the supply section 12. can.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a radioisotope production apparatus according to another embodiment. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus 10a shown in FIG. 8 includes a rotation mechanism 260 and a bag operation mechanism 270 at the tip of the supply section. The rotation mechanism 260 is provided on the proximal side of the attachment portion of the bag portion 16, and rotates the distal end portion 262 of the supply portion 12, on which the bag portion 16 is attached, relative to other portions. The rotation mechanism 260 includes a bearing and a drive source. The rotating section 260 rotates the distal end section 262 to cause the filling section and the distal end section 262 to rotate relative to each other.

The bag operation mechanism 270 is a mechanism for squeezing the bag 16 between the filling section and the supply section, and includes an arm section 272 and a rotating section 274 that controls the opening degree of the arm section 272. The arm portion 272 is a rod-shaped member that is disposed on the distal side of the supply portion 12 and can come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the bag portion 16 . The arm portions 272 are arranged at at least two locations around the supply portion. The rotating portion 274 serves as a fulcrum for the rotating movement of the arm portion 272. By rotating the arm portion 272 about the rotation portion 274 as a fulcrum, it is possible to change the interval between the tips of the arm portion 272 to be larger than the supply portion and to be smaller in width than the supply portion.

When the bag section operation mechanism 270 has a structure in which the distance between the tips of the arm sections 272 is wider than the supply section, the RI raw material can be easily supplied to the bag section. As shown in FIG. 8, the bag operation mechanism 270 squeezes the bag 16 between the filling section and the supply section by making the distance between the tips of the arm sections 272 smaller than the width of the supply section. Can be done. By squeezing the bag portion with the arm portion 272, it is possible to easily form a closed portion.

Further, in the above embodiment, a plurality of filling portions are formed, but the number of filling portions may be one. Alternatively, each filling portion may be fixed to the instrumentation tube 147A by bringing the filling portion into contact with the instrumentation tube 147A.

In the above embodiment, the collection device collects the radioisotope from the filling part inside the instrumentation tube. The isotope may be recovered by suction.

Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the embodiment is not limited by the content of this embodiment. Furthermore, the above-mentioned components include those that can be easily assumed by those skilled in the art, those that are substantially the same, and those that are in a so-called equivalent range. Furthermore, the aforementioned components can be combined as appropriate. Furthermore, various omissions, substitutions, or modifications of the constituent elements can be made without departing from the gist of the embodiments described above.

10 Radioisotope production device 12 Supply section 14 Transport mechanism 16 Bag section 20 Recovery device 22 Recovery drive source 24 Piping 26 Nozzle 101 Reactor vessel 147A Instrumentation tube

Claims (8)

A radioisotope production apparatus for producing radioisotopes by placing an RI raw material, which is a raw material for radioisotopes, in a nuclear reactor,
a supply unit that moves inside an instrumentation tube connected to the nuclear reactor;
a bag section attached to the tip of the supply section, the inside of which is connected to the passage area of the RI raw material of the supply section, and capable of storing the RI raw material;
A radioisotope manufacturing apparatus comprising: a transport mechanism that transports the RI raw material from the supply section to the bag section. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bag portion is made of a stretchable material. The radioactive material according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bag portion is provided with a portion to which the RI raw material is supplied at a position away from a tip of the supply portion and is connected to a portion attached to the supply portion. Isotope production equipment. The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supply section is rotatable relative to the bag section in which the RI raw material supplied from the supply section is stored. . The radioisotope manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the transport mechanism transports the RI raw material using air. The radioisotope production apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a collection device that is stored in the bag and that collects the radioisotope produced from the RI raw material. A method for producing a radioactive isotope, in which an RI raw material, which is a raw material for a radioactive isotope, is placed in a nuclear reactor to produce a radioactive isotope, the method comprising:
A radioactive material comprising: a supply section that moves inside a tube connected to the nuclear reactor; and a bag section that is attached to the tip of the supply section, has an interior connected to the tip of the supply section, and is capable of storing the RI raw material. using an isotope production device, inserting the supply section into an instrumentation tube connected to the nuclear reactor;
arranging the tip of the supply section in a region irradiated with the neutron beam of the nuclear reactor, and supplying the RI raw material from the tip to the bag section;
The part of the bag part to which the RI raw material was supplied and the supply part to which the other part of the bag part is mounted are rotated relative to each other, and the part of the bag part to which the RI raw material is supplied is on the side of the supply part. and clogging the end. After performing the step of closing the end on the side of the supply section, the step of supplying the RI raw material and the step of closing the end on the side of the supply section are executed at least once, and the RI raw material is placed in the bag section. 8. The method for producing a radioactive isotope according to claim 7 , wherein a structure is produced in which filled parts filled with are connected.

Images