Oak Ridge Isotope Production Cyclotron Facility and Target Handling

Abstract The Nuclear Science Advisory Committee issued in August 2009 an Isotopes Subcommittee report that recommended the construction and operation of a variable-energy, high-current, multiparticle accelerator for producing medical radioisotopes. To meet the needs identified in the report, Oak Ridge National Laboratory is developing a technical concept for a commercial 70 MeV dual-port-extraction, multiparticle cyclotron to be located at the Holifield Radioactive Ion Beam Facility. The conceptual design of the isotope production facility as envisioned would provide two types of targets for use with this new cyclotron. One is a high-power target cooled by water circulating on both sides, and the other is a commercial target cooled only on one side. The isotope facility concept includes an isotope target vault for target irradiation and a shielded transfer station for radioactive target handling. The targets are irradiated in the isotope target vault. The irradiated targets are removed from the target vault and packaged in an adjoining shielded transfer station before being sent out for postprocessing. This paper describes the conceptual design of the target-handling capabilities required for dealing with these radioactive targets and for minimizing the contamination potential during operations.