阅读说明：本技术 用于辐照靶材料的系统 (System for irradiating a target material ) 是由 约瑟夫·科莫尔 J-M·吉茨 贝努瓦·纳克特加尔 于 2019-07-02 设计创作，主要内容包括：用于在输送系统中在靶辐照站与收集站、比如热室之间转移靶材料(2)的囊体,包括：-束线通道(4),用于使辐照所述靶材料(2)的能量束通过,-靶保持器(1),用于保持所述靶材料(2)或背衬所述靶材料(2)的基材,-壳体(3),用于包封所述靶保持器(1),所述壳体是可打开的,使得当所述壳体(3)被打开时,所述靶材料(2)能够插入所述靶保持器(1)或从所述靶保持器移除,-降能箔(5a,5b,5c),所述降能箔横跨所述束线通道(4)定位,-至少一个靶冷却入口(14)和至少一个靶冷却出口(15),-至少一个降能箔冷却入口(20)和至少一个降能箔冷却出口(21)。(Capsule for transferring target material (2) between a target irradiation station and a collection station, such as a hot cell, in a delivery system, comprising: -a beamline channel (4) for passing an energy beam irradiating the target material (2), -a target holder (1) for holding the target material (2) or a substrate backing the target material (2), -a housing (3) for enclosing the target holder (1), the housing being openable such that the target material (2) can be inserted into or removed from the target holder (1) when the housing (3) is opened, -a reduced energy foil (5a, 5b, 5c) positioned across the beamline channel (4), -at least one target cooling inlet (14) and at least one target cooling outlet (15), -at least one reduced energy foil cooling inlet (20) and at least one reduced energy foil cooling outlet (21).)

1. Capsule for transferring target material (2) between a target irradiation station and a collection station, such as a hot cell, in a delivery system, comprising:

-a beam line channel (4) extending along a beam line channel axis X1 for passing an energy beam irradiating the target material (2),

-a target holder (1) for holding the target material (2) or a substrate backing the target material (2) at a grazing angle with respect to the beamline channel axis X1,

-a housing (3) for enclosing the target holder (1), the housing being openable such that the target material (2) can be inserted into or removed from the target holder (1) when the housing (3) is opened,

-a de-energizing foil (5a, 5b, 5c) positioned across the beam line channel (4) for de-energizing the energy beam upstream of the target material (2),

-at least one target cooling inlet (14) and at least one target cooling outlet (15) for passing a cooling fluid in a target cooling conduit (6) near the target holder such that the target material (2) can be cooled during irradiation,

-at least one reduced energy foil cooling inlet (20) and at least one reduced energy foil cooling outlet (21) for passing a cooling gas in the vicinity of the reduced energy foils (5a, 5b, 5 c).

2. The capsule according to claim 1, wherein said glancing angle is between 10 ° and 90 °.

3. Capsule according to claim 1 or 2, wherein it has a shape defined by a geometry of rotation about the beamline channel axis X1, comprising a front end (12) and a rear end (13), the beamline channel (4) extending within the capsule from the front end (12) to the target holder (1).

4. The capsule according to claim 3, wherein said target cooling inlet (14) is located in said rear end (13) of said capsule, said target cooling inlet being aligned with said beam line channel axis X1.

5. The capsule according to claim 3 or 4, wherein said target cooling outlet (15) is located in said rear end (13) of said capsule, said target cooling outlet (15) being an annular cooling outlet located around said beam line channel axis X1.

6. Capsule according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said housing comprises a closing cover (7), wherein,

-said closing cover (7) is coaxially fastenable to said casing (3) with respect to said harness axis X1 to form said rear end (13) of said capsule,

-the target holder (1) is rigidly coupled to the closing cover (7) such that the target holder (1) is inserted into the housing (3) when the closing cover (7) is fastened to the housing (3).

7. Capsule according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the target cooling conduit (6) is configured such that the cooling fluid can be in thermal contact with the target material (2) held in the target holder (2) or a substrate backing the target material.

8. A system for irradiating target material in a target irradiation station (10) and transferring irradiated target material between the target irradiation station (10) and a collection facility, such as a hot chamber (9), comprising:

-at least one capsule according to any one of claims 1 to 7,

-a receiving station (8) located in the collection facility (9),

a target irradiation station (10) for receiving an energy beam from a beam line along a beam line axis,

a delivery system (11) comprising a transfer tube (12) for delivering the capsules between the receiving station (8) and the target irradiation station (10),

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

-the transport system (11) comprises a first terminal (16) located in the target irradiation station (10),

the target irradiation station (10) comprises an irradiation unit (17) for irradiating the target material (2),

-the irradiation station comprises a first actuator (34) for transferring the capsule between the first terminal (16) and the irradiation unit (17) and a second actuator (18) for locking the capsule in an irradiation position,

-the target irradiation station (10) comprises a collimator (19) for narrowing the energy beam from the beam line,

-said at least one capsule being lockable in an irradiation position by said second actuator (18) in said irradiation unit (17), wherein said beam line channel axis X1 of said capsule is aligned with and connected to said beam line,

-the target irradiation station (10) comprises at least one target cooling inlet conduit and at least one target cooling outlet conduit in fluid communication with the target cooling inlet (14) and target cooling outlet (15) of the capsule when the capsule is locked in its irradiation position,

-the target irradiation station (10) comprises at least one reduced energy foil cooling inlet conduit and at least one reduced energy foil cooling outlet conduit in fluid communication with the reduced energy foil cooling inlet (20) and the reduced energy foil cooling outlet (21) of the capsule when the capsule is locked in its irradiation position,

-said receiving station (8) being connected to said transfer duct (12) as a second terminal end of said conveying system (11), said receiving station (8) being openable so that said capsules can be extracted from said receiving station (8).

9. The system according to claim 8, wherein the transport system (11) is a pneumatic system.

10. System according to claim 9, wherein the transport system (11) is a vacuum pneumatic system.

11. System according to any of claims 8-10, wherein the receiving station (8) is connected to the transfer pipe (12) by means of a gate valve, so that the second terminal can act as an air lock between the conveying system (11) and the collection facility (9).

12. The system according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the target cooling inlet conduit (22) and the target cooling outlet conduit (23) of the irradiation station (10), and the target cooling inlet (14) and the target cooling outlet (15) of the capsule are configured such that when the capsule is locked in the irradiation position, the target cooling inlet conduit (22) of the irradiation station (10) is in fluid communication with the target cooling inlet (14) of the capsule, and the target cooling outlet conduit (23) of the irradiation station (10) is in fluid communication with the target cooling outlet (15) of the capsule, regardless of the relative angular orientation between the capsule and the irradiation unit (17) with respect to the beamline channel axis X1.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein,

-the target cooling inlet (14) of the capsule is a circular inlet located in the rear end (13) of the capsule, the target cooling inlet (14) being aligned with the beam line channel axis X1,

-the target cooling outlet (15) of the capsule is located in the rear end (13) of the capsule, the target cooling outlet (15) being an annular cooling outlet located around the beam line channel axis X1,

-the target cooling inlet conduit (22) of the irradiation station (10) has an end on the beam line axis with a circular shape with a radius matching the radius of the target cooling inlet (14) of the capsule,

-the target cooling outlet conduit of the irradiation station (10) has an end on the beam line axis with an annular outlet with a radius matching the radius of the target cooling outlet (15) of the capsule.

14. The system according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein the energy-reducing foil cooling inlet conduit (24) and the energy-reducing foil cooling outlet conduit (25) of the irradiation station (10) and the energy-reducing foil cooling inlet (20) and the energy-reducing foil cooling outlet (21) of the capsule are configured such that when the capsule is locked in the irradiation position, the reduced energy foil cooling inlet conduit (24) of the irradiation station (10) is in fluid communication with the reduced energy foil cooling inlet (20) of the capsule, and the at least one reduced energy foil cooling outlet conduit (25) of the irradiation station (10) is in fluid communication with the reduced energy foil cooling outlet (21) of the capsule, regardless of the relative angular orientation between the capsule and the irradiation unit (17) with respect to the beam line channel axis X1.

15. The system of any one of claims 8 to 14,

-the energy-reducing foil cooling inlet (20) of the capsule is an arc-shaped inlet with a radius R1 in the front end (12) of the capsule,

-the energy-reducing foil cooling outlet (21) of the capsule is an arc-shaped outlet located in the front end (12) of the capsule, the arc-shaped outlet having a radius R2 different from a radius R1,

-the energy-reducing foil cooling inlet conduit (24) of the irradiation station (10) has an end of a ring shape around the beam line axis, the ring shape having a radius matching the radius R1 of the arc-shaped inlet (20) of the capsule,

-the energy-reducing foil cooling outlet conduit (25) of the irradiation station (10) has an end of a ring shape around the beam line axis, the ring shape having a radius matching the radius R2 of the arc-shaped outlet (21) of the capsule.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a system for transferring target material between a target irradiation station, in which target material is irradiated by an energy beam, for example a particle beam, and a collection facility, such as a hot chamber in a system for producing radionuclides, in which the irradiated target material is collected.

Background

Irradiation of target material by an energy beam is used in many modern applications. For example, for medical applications, radionuclides have long been produced by cyclotron irradiation of target material with medium or low energy (5-30 MeV) beams. Radionuclides have many important industrial and scientific uses, the most important of which are tracers: radiopharmaceuticals are synthesized by reaction with suitable non-radioactive precursors and, when administered in humans, allow for diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring by Positron Emission Tomography (PET), particularly in the treatment of tumors. Some radiopharmaceuticals may also have a therapeutic effect.

Document EP 1717819 discloses a system for the automatic production of radionuclides. In the disclosed system, a cylindrical target carrier or capsule is disclosed that includes a dividing wall defining two open cylindrical cavities. One of the cylindrical cavities is for receiving a target material to be irradiated. In the disclosed system, the capsule serves as a shuttle between an irradiation unit, in which the target material carried by the capsule is irradiated, and a hot chamber, in which electrodeposition and electrodissolution of the target material can take place due to the electrolytic cell. A pneumatic transfer system is arranged to transfer the capsules between the hot cell and the irradiation unit. There are also purification systems for purifying acid solutions containing radionuclides obtained from the electrodissolution step. In this system, the irradiation takes place in an irradiation unit, which receives a particle beam from a cyclotron. In case different radionuclides need to be produced or when target materials with different thicknesses are used in this system, the energy of the particle beam irradiating the target material needs to be changed. This can be done by using a more complex accelerator that can deliver beams with variable energy. When the accelerator can only deliver a particle beam of fixed energy, the energy of the beam irradiating the target material can still be changed by using a de-energizing foil positioned across the beam line in the irradiation unit. By switching between different energy reducing foils, the energy of the beam obtained from the fixed energy cyclotron can thus be adjusted in order to irradiate the target material at a suitable energy level. However, switching between different energy reducing foils is an inconvenient process involving a shutdown of the system with significant adverse economic impact and involving access to the irradiation station, resulting in radiation exposure for maintenance personnel.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a system for automated production of radionuclides with increased flexibility to vary the energy of a beam irradiating a target material.

The invention is defined in the appended independent claims. Preferred embodiments are defined in the dependent claims.

In particular, the present invention relates to a capsule for transferring target material between a target irradiation station and a collection station, such as a hot chamber, in a delivery system, said capsule comprising:

a beam line channel extending along a beam line channel axis X1 for passing an energy beam irradiating the target material,

-a target holder for holding the target material or a substrate backing the target material at a grazing angle relative to the beamline channel axis X1,

a housing for enclosing the target holder, the housing being openable such that the target material can be inserted into or removed from the target holder when the housing is opened,

-an energy reducing foil positioned across the beam line channel for reducing the energy of the energy beam upstream of the target material,

-at least one target cooling inlet and at least one target cooling outlet for passing a cooling fluid in a cooling conduit near the target holder such that the target material can be cooled during irradiation,

-at least one reduced energy foil cooling inlet and at least one reduced energy foil cooling outlet for passing a cooling gas in the vicinity of the reduced energy foil.

In an advantageous embodiment, the glancing angle is between 10 ° and 90 °.

In an advantageous embodiment, the capsule has a shape defined by a geometry of rotation about the beamline channel axis X1, the capsule comprising a front end and a rear end, the beamline channel extending within the capsule from the front end to the target holder.

In an advantageous embodiment, the target cooling inlet is located in the rear end of the capsule, said target cooling inlet being aligned with the beam line channel axis X1.

In an advantageous embodiment, the target cooling outlet is located in the rear end of the capsule, the target cooling outlet being an annular cooling outlet located about the beamline channel axis X1.

In an advantageous embodiment, the housing comprises a closing cover, wherein,

-the closing cover is coaxially fastenable to the housing with respect to the harness axis X1 to form the rear end of the capsule,

-the target holder is rigidly coupled to the closure lid such that the target holder is inserted into the housing when the closure lid is fastened to the housing.

In an advantageous embodiment, the target cooling conduit is configured such that a cooling fluid can be in thermal contact with a target material held in the target holder or a substrate backing the target material.

The invention also relates to a system for irradiating target material in a target irradiation station and transferring the irradiated target material between the target irradiation station and a collection facility, such as a hot chamber, the system comprising:

-at least one capsule as described above,

-a receiving station located in the collection facility,

a target irradiation station for receiving an energy beam from the beam line along a beam line axis,

a delivery system comprising a transfer tube for delivering the capsules between the receiving station and the target irradiation station,

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

-the transport system comprises a first terminal located in the target irradiation station,

the target irradiation station comprises an irradiation unit for irradiating the target material,

-the irradiation station comprises a first actuator for transferring the capsule between the first terminal and the irradiation unit and a second actuator for locking the capsule in an irradiation position,

-the target irradiation station comprises a collimator for narrowing the energy beam from the beam line,

said at least one capsule being lockable in an irradiation position by said second actuator in said irradiation unit, wherein a beam line channel axis X1 of said capsule is aligned with and connected to said beam line,

-the target irradiation station comprises at least one target cooling inlet conduit and at least one target cooling outlet conduit in fluid communication with the target cooling inlet and target cooling outlet of the capsule when the capsule is locked in its irradiation position,

-the target irradiation station comprises at least one energy-lowering foil cooling inlet conduit and at least one energy-lowering foil cooling outlet conduit, which are in fluid communication with the energy-lowering foil cooling inlet and outlet of the capsule when the capsule is locked in its irradiation position,

-said receiving station being connected to said transfer duct as a second terminal end of said conveying system, said receiving station being openable so that said capsules can be extracted from said receiving station.

In an advantageous embodiment, the transport system is a pneumatic system.

In an advantageous embodiment, the transport system is a vacuum pneumatic system.

In an advantageous embodiment, the receiving station is connected to the transfer pipe by a gate valve, so that the second terminal can act as a gas lock between the conveying system and the collection facility.

In an advantageous embodiment, the target cooling inlet and outlet conduits of the irradiation station, and the target cooling inlet and outlet of the bladder, are configured such that when the bladder is locked in the irradiation position, the target cooling inlet conduit of the irradiation station is in fluid communication with the target cooling inlet of the bladder, and the target cooling outlet conduit of the irradiation station is in fluid communication with the target cooling outlet of the bladder, regardless of the relative angular orientation between the bladder and the irradiation unit with respect to the beamline channel axis X1.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention,

-the target cooling inlet of the capsule is a circular inlet located in the rear end of the capsule, aligned with the beam line channel axis X1,

-the target cooling outlet of the capsule is located in the rear end of the capsule, the target cooling outlet being an annular cooling outlet located around the beamline channel axis X1,

-the target cooling inlet conduit of the irradiation station has an end on the beam line axis having a circular shape with a radius matching the radius of the target cooling inlet of the capsule,

-the target cooling outlet conduit of the irradiation station has an end on the beam line axis with an annular outlet of radius matching that of the target cooling outlet of the capsule.

In an advantageous embodiment, the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet and outlet conduits of the irradiation station, and the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet and outlet of the capsule are configured such that when the capsule is locked in the irradiation position, the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet conduit of the irradiation station is in fluid communication with the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet of the capsule, and the at least one reduced-energy foil cooling outlet conduit of the irradiation station is in fluid communication with the reduced-energy foil cooling outlet of the capsule, regardless of the relative angular orientation between the capsule and the irradiation unit with respect to the beam line channel axis X1.

In an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention,

-the energy-reducing foil cooling inlet of the capsule is an arc-shaped inlet with a radius R1 in the front end of the capsule,

-the energy-reducing foil cooling outlet of the capsule is an arc-shaped outlet located in the front end of the capsule, the arc-shaped outlet having a radius R2 different from radius R1,

-the energy-reducing foil cooling inlet conduit of the irradiation station has an end of a ring shape around the beam line axis, the ring shape having a radius matching the radius R1 of the arc-shaped inlet of the capsule,

-the reduced energy foil cooling outlet conduit of the irradiation station has an end of a toroidal shape around the beamline axis, the toroidal shape having a radius matching the radius R2 of the arcuate outlet of the capsule.

Drawings

These and further aspects of the invention will be explained in more detail, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

figure 1 shows a capsule for a system according to the invention;

figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the capsule according to figure 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a system according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 shows an irradiation station of a system according to the present invention;

figure 5 shows a cross-sectional view of the irradiation station according to figure 4, with the capsule locked in its irradiation position;

figure 6 is a detailed view of a part of the system according to the invention connected to the beam line of the energy beam generator.

The figures are not drawn to scale.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 show an example of a capsule for transferring target material 2 according to the invention for use in a transport system between a target irradiation station and a collection station, such as a hot chamber.

The capsule includes:

a beam line channel 4 extending along a beam line channel axis X1 for passing an energy beam irradiating the target material 2,

-a target holder 1 for holding target material 2 or a substrate 2a backed by target material 2 at a grazing angle relative to said beam line channel axis X1,

a housing 3 for enclosing said target holder 1, said housing 3 being openable such that target material 2 can be inserted into or removed from target holder 1 when housing 3 is opened,

at least one de-energizing foil 5a, 5b, 5c positioned across the beam line channel 4 for de-energizing the energy beam upstream of the target material 2,

at least one target cooling inlet 14 and at least one target cooling outlet 15 for passing a cooling fluid in the cooling conduit 6 near the target holder 1, so that the target material 2 can be cooled during irradiation,

at least one reduced energy foil cooling inlet 20 and at least one reduced energy foil cooling outlet 21 for passing a cooling gas in the vicinity of the at least one reduced energy foil 5a, 5b, 5 c.

The energy beam to be received in the capsule for irradiating the target material 2 is typically a particle beam, such as a proton beam, but may also be electromagnetic radiation, such as gamma rays. Such types of energy beams are in practice often used in applications for the production of radionuclides by (photo) nuclear reactions, wherein the use of the capsules according to the invention is very advantageous.

In fig. 1 and 2, the target material 2 is backed with a substrate 2 a. Such a target material 2 backed with a substrate 2a can be obtained by a chemical process, wherein the target material 2 is electrodeposited on the substrate 2 a. In another embodiment, the target material may be melted or pressed into a suitable cavity in the substrate. Alternatively, the target material 2 may be held directly by the target holder 1 when it is not backed by a substrate. Typical examples of common targets are enriched or native nickel electrodeposited on silver or gold plated copper substrates, enriched or native thallium on copper substrates, enriched or native zinc on copper or gold plated copper substrates, enriched or native gallium and nickel alloys on copper or gold plated copper substrates, enriched or native antimony on copper or gold plated copper substrates, enriched or native tellurium oxide melted into cavities of platinum or iridium substrates, enriched or native strontium oxide pressed into cavities of platinum or iridium substrates, native yttrium foils fixed into cavities of platinum or iridium substrates by means of fixing rings, metal sheets or foils without substrates, etc.

The target holder 1 is configured to receive and stabilize a target material 2 at a glancing angle relative to a beamline channel axis X1. The glancing angle is advantageously in the range between 10 ° and 90 °, wherein a glancing angle of 90 ° corresponds to the target material 2 being perpendicular to the beam line axis X1. A glancing angle of less than 90 ° increases the effective thickness of the target material exposed to the irradiation, which ultimately allows for an increased yield of radionuclide production while keeping the actual thickness of the target material constant. A glancing angle of less than 90 ° also increases the effective surface area of the target exposed to the beam, thereby reducing the average beam current density and thereby increasing the beam current acceptance and correspondingly the yield of the target.

In fig. 1 and 2, the capsule has a tubular side wall defined by a rotation geometry about the beamline passage axis X1, and is closed by a front end 12 and a rear end 13. The housing 3 is a sheath enclosing the different parts of the capsule. The housing 3 has a protective function against the target material 2 and may be made of any suitable material, such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy, titanium or a titanium alloy, niobium or a niobium alloy, etc.

The housing 3 needs to be openable so that the target material 2 can be inserted into or removed from the target holder 1 by a human or robotic operator, typically in a shielded nuclear radiation containment chamber (so-called "hot chamber"). In this regard, the housing 3 may include a main body 31 and a closure cap 7. A closure cap 7 is fastenable coaxially to the body 31, with respect to the harness axis X1, to form the rear end 13 of the capsule. The target holder 1 is advantageously rigidly coupled to the closure lid 7, so that when the closure lid 7 is fastened to the body 31, the target holder 1 is inserted into said body 1 at the desired glancing angle. Alternatively, when the housing does not comprise a body 31 and a closing lid 7, the housing 3 may comprise a sliding system or a door, such that the housing is openable and the target material 2 is accessible.

The at least one energy reducing foil 5a, 5b, 5c positioned across the beam line channel 4 of the capsule allows reducing the energy of the energy beam received in the capsule such that a desired energy level is reached when the energy beam hits the target material 2. When the energy beam delivered to the capsule has a fixed energy, it is actually necessary to adjust the energy of the beam downstream of the beam generator. The number, thickness and material of the energy reducing foils contained in the capsule depends on the energy level of the beam delivered by the beam generator and the desired energy level of the beam delivered onto the target material 2. In fig. 1 and 2, the capsule comprises three energy reducing foils 5a, 5b, 5 c. In other embodiments, the capsule may comprise only one or two reduced energy foils, or alternatively more than three reduced energy foils. In the embodiment of fig. 1 and 2, the energy reducing foil is made of aluminum and has a width of 0.25 mm. However, any material of any width having suitable energy degrading capability may be used.

The presence of the energy-reducing foil in the capsule according to the invention allows to reduce the ionizing radiation dose received by the operator during maintenance of the target irradiation station. It is well known that the energy reducing foils are activated to a large extent during operation of the target irradiation station, and therefore they are the strongest ionizing radiation sources induced in the target irradiation station in addition to the target and the substrate. Since the energy reducing foils are part of the capsules, they are removed from the target station after each irradiation together with the irradiated target, so the only active parts remaining near the target station are the collimator and beam stop along the beam line.

The energy reducing foils 5a, 5b, 5c may be removably mounted on the capsule so as to be replaced when necessary. This will allow for the replacement of the energy reducing foils 5a, 5b, 5c, for example after being irradiated a predetermined number of times, or alternatively when a new target material 2 requiring a different energy degrading capability needs to be irradiated. The energy reducing foils 5a, 5b, 5c may also be mounted on a support 3a which is detachable from the rest of the housing 3. In such a configuration, the energy reducing foils 5a, 5b, 5c may be replaced by removing the support 3a and by installing a new support 3a on the capsule.

The at least one target cooling inlet 14 and at least one target cooling outlet 15 for passing cooling fluid in the cooling conduit 6 near the target holder 1 may be located in the rear end 13 of the capsule. In fig. 1 and 2, the target cooling inlet 14 is a circular outlet aligned with the beamline passage axis X1, while the target cooling outlet 15 is an annular outlet positioned about the beamline passage axis X1. The cooling conduit 6 is a passage in the balloon that connects the target cooling inlet 14 to the target cooling outlet 15. The function of the cooling conduit 6 is to evacuate heat generated during irradiation from the target material 2. Thus, the cooling conduit 6 needs to circulate a cooling fluid (such as cooling water) or any other suitable fluid with a high boiling point, a high heat capacity and a high thermal conductivity in the vicinity of the target material 2. In fig. 1 and 2, the cooling conduit 6 is configured to bring a cooling fluid into contact with the substrate 2a backing the target material 2. In other embodiments, the cooling conduit 6 may be configured such that the cooling fluid is directed proximate the substrate 2a without contacting it. In these embodiments, the cooling conduit 6 advantageously comprises a portion separated from the substrate 2a by a thin layer of thermally conductive material.

The energy beam received by the capsule will also generate heating of the energy reducing foils 5a, 5b, 5 c. In order to limit the heat increase in the energy reducing foils, a cooling fluid may be introduced near the at least one energy reducing foil 5a, 5b, 5 c. As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the reduced energy foil cooling inlet 20 and the reduced energy foil cooling outlet 21 may be configured to allow the cooling fluid to pass tangentially to the reduced energy foils 5a, 5b, 5 c. The cooling fluid is advantageously an inert substance, such as an inert gas, since it will diffuse in the beam line channel 4 during irradiation. In fig. 1 and 2, the reduced energy foil cooling inlet 20 is an arc shaped inlet with a radius R1 located in the front end 12 of the capsule. The reduced energy foil cooling outlet 21 is an arc shaped outlet also in the front end 12 of the capsule with a radius R2 different from R1.

In the capsule shown in fig. 1 and 2, the energy reducing foil 5c and the target holder 1 define a closed cavity in said beam line channel 4. In this configuration, contamination of the irradiation station and the beam line by the cooling fluid circulating in the beam line channel 4 is prevented, since the cooling fluid does not leak out of the closed cavity in the capsule. In addition, the circulation of the cooling fluid in the beamline channel 4 can be tangentially forced to the front surface of the target material, which will enhance the heat removal from the target, which is particularly important for target materials with low thermal conductivity.

The presence of the energy reducing foils 5a, 5b, 5c embedded in the capsule according to the invention allows to modulate the energy beam upstream of the target material 2 without having to switch between the energy reducing foils located in the irradiation unit 10. The use of the capsules according to the invention in a system for the production of radionuclides is therefore very advantageous. Indeed, with the capsule according to the invention, different target materials 2 requiring different beam energy levels can be irradiated successively without the need to use a beam generator with variable energy levels and without the need to access the irradiation station 10.

As shown in fig. 3, the invention also relates to a system for irradiating target material in a target irradiation station 10 and transferring the irradiated target material between the target irradiation station 10 and a collection facility, such as a hot cell 9, the system comprising:

-at least one capsule as described above,

a receiving station 8, located in a collection facility 9,

a target irradiation station 10, as shown in FIG. 4, for receiving an energy beam from the beam line along the beam line axis,

a delivery system 11 comprising a transfer tube 12 for delivering said capsules between said receiving station 8 and said target irradiation station 10,

wherein the content of the first and second substances,

the transport system 11 comprises a first terminal 16 located in the target irradiation station 10,

the target irradiation station 10 comprises an irradiation unit 17 for irradiating the target material 2,

the irradiation station 10 comprises a first actuator 34 for transferring the capsules between the first terminal 16 and the irradiation unit 17 and a second actuator 18 for locking the capsules in the irradiation position,

the target irradiation station 10 comprises a collimator 19 for narrowing the energy beam from the beam line,

said at least one capsule can be locked in irradiation position by the second actuator 18 in the irradiation unit 17, with its beam line channel axis X1 aligned with and connected to the beam line,

the target irradiation station 10 comprises a target cooling inlet conduit 22 and a target cooling outlet conduit 23, which are in fluid communication with the target cooling inlet 14 and the target cooling outlet 15 of the capsule when the capsule is locked in its irradiation position,

the target irradiation station 10 comprises a reduced-energy foil cooling inlet conduit 24 and a reduced-energy foil cooling outlet conduit 25, which are in fluid communication with the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet 20 and the reduced-energy foil cooling outlet 21 of the capsule when the capsule is locked in its irradiation position,

the receiving station 8 is connected to the transfer duct 12 as a second terminal end of the conveying system 11, the receiving station 8 being openable so that the capsules can be taken out from the receiving station 8.

In the system shown in fig. 3, the transport system 11 is a vacuum pneumatic transport system. Such a system includes a first aspiration tube 26 in fluid communication with the transfer tube through the first terminal end 16 in the irradiation station 10. It also comprises a second suction duct 27, which is in fluid communication with the transfer duct 12 through the receiving station 8 ("second terminal end"). The suction pipes 26, 27 are connected to a blower 28 and the atmosphere by three- way valves 29 and 30. A HEPA filter 31 may also be included between the blower 28 and the three- way valves 29 and 30.

The operating principle of the conveying system is as follows:

when a capsule needs to be transferred from the collection facility 9 to the irradiation station 10, the atmospheric port of the first three-way valve 29 is closed, while the first suction tube 26 is set in fluid communication with the blower 28. On the other hand, the blower port of the second three-way valve 30 is closed, and the second suction pipe 27 is set in fluid communication with the atmosphere. Thus, air is drawn from the first suction duct 26 by the blower 28. This depression in suction duct 26 causes the movement of the capsules in transfer duct 12 from collection facility 9 to irradiation station 10, while air is sucked from the atmosphere into second suction duct 27.

When a capsule needs to be transferred from the irradiation station 10 to the collection facility 9, the atmospheric port of the second three-way valve 30 is closed, while the second suction duct 27 is set in fluid communication with the blower 28. On the other hand, the blower port of the first three-way valve 29 is closed, and the suction pipe 26 is set in fluid communication with the atmosphere. Thus, air is sucked out of the second suction duct 27 by the blower 28. This reduced pressure in suction duct 27 causes movement of the capsules in transfer duct 12 from irradiation station 10 to the collection facility, while air is sucked from the atmosphere into first suction duct 26.

As shown in fig. 3, the system may comprise two additional valves 32, 33, such as ball valves, in the collection facility 9. A first valve 32 is positioned across the transfer tube 12 and a second valve 33 is positioned across the second suction tube 27. In this arrangement, the receiving station 8 thus becomes an air lock in the hot chamber 9. These valves 32, 33 advantageously remain closed when the capsule is extracted or placed in the receiving station 8. This operation will ensure that the atmosphere of the hot chamber 9 will not be disturbed by the air used to transfer the capsules and that the potentially contaminated atmosphere of the hot chamber 9 will not enter the air stream of the delivery system 11. When a bladder needs to be transferred between the hot cell 9 and the irradiation station 10, the valves 32, 33 are opened so that the delivery system 11 can operate as described above.

An example of an irradiation station 10 of a system according to the invention is disclosed in more detail in fig. 4 and 5. The irradiation station 10 is mounted on the mounting frame 35 by a positioning mechanism, which allows for precise alignment of the irradiation units with respect to the beam. In addition to the elements already described above, the irradiation station 10 may also comprise a cooling system for the collimator 19. Such a cooling system comprises a collimator cooling inlet duct 36 and a collimator cooling outlet duct 37.

As shown in fig. 4 and 5, the irradiation station 10 includes two actuators: 34 and 18 for positioning and locking the balloon. When a capsule is received in the first terminal 16 of the irradiation station 10, the first actuator 34 transfers the capsule to the irradiation unit 17. The capsule is locked in its irradiation position by the action of the second actuator 18. The irradiation position of the capsule in the irradiation unit 17 is a position of the capsule in which,

the harness passage axis X1 is aligned with and connected to the harness,

the target cooling inlet conduit 22 and the target cooling outlet conduit 23 are in fluid communication with the target cooling inlet 14 and the target cooling outlet 15 of the capsule,

the reduced energy foil cooling inlet conduit 24 and the reduced energy foil cooling outlet conduit 25 are in fluid communication with the reduced energy foil cooling inlet 20 and the reduced energy foil cooling outlet 21 of the capsule.

In an advantageous embodiment of the system, the target cooling inlet conduit 22 of the irradiation station 10 is configured such that when the capsule is locked in the irradiation position, it is in fluid communication with the target cooling inlet 14 of the capsule, regardless of the relative angular orientation between the capsule and the irradiation unit 17 with respect to the beamline channel axis X1. Similarly, the target cooling outlet conduit 23 of the irradiation station 10 is advantageously configured such that when the capsule is locked in the irradiation position, the target cooling outlet conduit is in fluid communication with the target cooling outlet of the capsule, regardless of the relative angular orientation between the capsule and the irradiation unit 17 with respect to the beamline channel axis X1. In this configuration, the target cooling system may operate at any angular orientation of the capsule in the irradiation unit 10 relative to the beamline channel axis X1. This reduces the task complexity of the actuators 18 and 34 without the need to measure the angular orientation of the capsule in the first terminal 16 when the capsule is locked in its irradiation position and without the need to rotate the capsule to a particular angle relative to the beamline channel axis X1.

In the capsule shown in fig. 1 and 2, in which the target cooling inlet 14 is a circular inlet located in the rear end 13 of the capsule and aligned with the beamline channel axis X1, the target cooling inlet conduit 22 of the irradiation station 10 has an end located on the beamline axis having a circular shape with a radius matching that of the circular target cooling inlet 14 of the capsule. Similarly, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, when the target cooling outlet 15 of the balloon is an annular outlet located in the rear end 13 of the balloon and is positioned about the beamline channel axis X1, the target cooling outlet conduit 23 of the irradiation station 10 has an end with an annular outlet about the beamline axis having a radius matching the radius of the target cooling outlet 15. In this configuration example, the target cooling system is operable when the capsule is locked in the irradiation position regardless of the relative angular orientation between the capsule and the irradiation unit 17 with respect to the beamline channel axis X1.

In an advantageous embodiment of the system, the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet conduit 24 of the irradiation station 10 is configured such that, when the capsule is locked in the irradiation position, it is in fluid communication with the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet 20 of the capsule, regardless of the relative angular orientation between the capsule and the irradiation unit 17 with respect to the beamline channel axis X1. Similarly, the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet conduit 25 of the irradiation station 10 is advantageously configured such that, when the capsule is locked in the irradiation position, it is in fluid communication with the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet 21 of the capsule, regardless of the relative angular orientation between the capsule and the irradiation unit 17 with respect to the beamline channel axis X1. In this configuration, the energy sink cooling system may operate at any angular orientation of the capsule in the irradiation unit 10 relative to the beamline channel axis X1. This reduces the task complexity of the actuators 18 and 34 without the need to measure the angular orientation of the capsule in the first terminal 16 when the capsule is locked in its irradiation position and without the need to rotate the capsule to a particular angle relative to the beamline channel axis X1.

In the capsule shown in fig. 1 and 2, in which the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet 20 is located in the front end 12 of the capsule and is an arcuate inlet of radius R1 about a beamline channel axis X1, the reduced-energy foil cooling inlet conduit 24 of the irradiation station 10 has an end portion having a toroidal shape about the beamline axis with a radius matching the radius R1 of the arcuate inlet 20 of the capsule. Similarly, as shown in fig. 1 and 2, when the reduced-energy foil cooling outlet 21 is located in the forward end 12 of the capsule and is an arcuate outlet 21 having a radius R2 different from the radius R1 about the beamline channel axis X1, the reduced-energy foil cooling outlet conduit 25 of the irradiation station 10 has an end portion having a toroidal shape about the beamline axis with a radius matching the radius R2 of the reduced-energy foil cooling outlet 21.

Fig. 6 shows a detailed view of a part of the system according to the invention of a wire harness 38 connected to an energy beam generator 39. The energy beam generator 39 may be a particle accelerator, such as a cyclotron. Alternatively, the energy beam generator may generate electromagnetic radiation, such as gamma rays.