WO2003081604A1

WO2003081604A1 - Mobile type particle accelerator system, and method of manufacturing radionuclide

Info

Publication number: WO2003081604A1
Application number: PCT/JP2002/002963
Authority: WO
Inventors: Kensuke Amemiya; Kazuo Hiramoto; Kazuyoshi Saito
Original assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
Priority date: 2002-03-27
Filing date: 2002-03-27
Publication date: 2003-10-02
Also published as: JP3969663B2; AU2002241288A1; JPWO2003081604A1

Abstract

A method of manufacturing radionuclide, comprising the steps of leading an ion beam generated by an ion source (6) into a shielded target chamber (3) through a conduit (8) by accelerating the ion beam by a Linux (2), flowing circulation water inside the target chamber (3), and radiating the ion beam passed through a target cell on the circulation water, whereby a nuclear reaction is induced. A mobile type particle accelerator system (1), wherein the ion source (6) and the Linux (2) are placed on an accelerator frame (7), and the conduit (8) and the target chamber (3) are mounted on a carrier (5), whereby the system is allowed to move.

Description

Description Mopile accelerator system and radionuclide production method

The present invention relates to a facility for producing a radionuclide and a method for producing a radionuclide. Background art

The PET (positron emission CT) device is used to examine the lesion by administering RI (radionuclide) to the human body. Here, since the RI used has a short half-life in consideration of the effect on the human body, it must be manufactured for each inspection. For this reason, a medical institution or the like that conventionally has a PET device also needs to have an RI manufacturing device for manufacturing RI.

The RI production equipment for PET is described on pages 37 to 39 of the 1st Applied Accelerator / Sekigan Technology Research Symposium Proceedings (1998). This RI production equipment produces RI by irradiating a liquid or gas target with an ion beam composed of light ions of high energy. At this time, the energy of the light ions needs to be about 1 l MeV, so the cyclotron accelerator is used as the light ion accelerator.

FIG. 7 illustrates an RI manufacturing apparatus using a cyclotron accelerator. The RI manufacturing apparatus 101 includes a cyclotron accelerator 102 having a substantially cylindrical outer shape, a conduit 103 for extracting an ion beam accelerated by the cyclotron accelerator 102, and a target 104 for irradiating the ion beam. These are surrounded by a shield 105. The cyclotron accelerator 102 used in the RI manufacturing apparatus 101 has a configuration in which the ion beam is accelerated by the magnetic field generated by the magnetic poles arranged opposite to each other in a fan shape. The ion beam is accelerated while increasing its orbital radius by the magnetic field, that is, drawing a spiral trajectory. In addition, a radio frequency (RF) electrode is arranged between the magnetic poles to maintain the convergence state of the ion beam. Therefore, a large magnetic pole and a large RF electrode are required to generate an ion beam with good convergence and high energy. The shield 105 is provided to prevent leakage of radiation emitted during RI manufacturing. In such an RI manufacturing apparatus 101, for example, the actual weight is 11 tons, and the weight of the shield is 28 tons. The floor size of the room where such a cyclotron accelerator 102 is installed needs to be 6.7 mx 7. Om. However, as described above, the RI manufacturing apparatus 101 for PET uses the cyclotron accelerator 102, the total weight is about 39 tons, and the floor area is about 7 m square. It was difficult for each medical institution to own 11 manufacturing equipment 1◦1 for £ c. This is because the installation site of the RI manufacturing apparatus 101 is required to have a sufficient size and a structure capable of withstanding a floor load. In addition, in order to reduce the cost of installing the RI manufacturing device 101, which is required as a separate device from the PET device, and to reduce maintenance costs, the RI nuclides were shared by multiple medical institutions, etc. Although it is conceivable to transport the RI, it is not practical because the short half-life of RI limits the distance that the RI manufacturing apparatus 101 can be shared. Here, even if it is intended to apply the transport of equipment used in X-ray imaging equipment and CT equipment to the conventional RI manufacturing equipment 101, the PET equipment itself, which is about the same size and weight as CT equipment, etc. Although transport is possible, it is difficult to move the large and heavy RI manufacturing equipment 101.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a mopile type accelerator system having a light installation weight and a portable performance so that it can be used in other facilities. With the goal. Another object of the present invention is to provide an RI manufacturing system for PET that can perform RI manufacturing at low cost. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for manufacturing RI performed using such a mopile type accelerator system. Disclosure of the invention

As a means for solving the above-mentioned problem, there is a method of using a linear accelerator as an accelerator of an apparatus for manufacturing an RI to reduce the total weight of the RI manufacturing apparatus so that the RI manufacturing apparatus can be transported. Here, the RI manufacturing equipment is divided into a unit containing the accelerator and a unit containing the target, focusing on their functions, and either of them can be transported independently, or only the unit containing the accelerator can be transported This makes it possible to further reduce the size and weight of the objects to be transported, making it possible to respond quickly to any road traffic conditions. When the RI manufacturing apparatus is divided into two parts, at least a part of the connection part is exposed to the atmosphere. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a means for evacuating the connection part during RI manufacture. It is desirable that the transportation means used for transportation should have a low-vibration mechanism for heavy-duty transportation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a mopile accelerator system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a target chamber.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the configuration and usage of the mobile accelerator system. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3 (a), and FIG. Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 5 (b), which is a diagram for explaining the connection between the accelerator part and the target part. Fig. 5 is a view for explaining the configuration and usage of the mopile type accelerator system. Fig. 6 (a) is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 3 (a), and (b) is a partially enlarged view of (b) of Fig. 3, both explaining the connection between the accelerator and the target. It is a figure to do FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a conventional RI manufacturing apparatus. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(First embodiment)

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a mopile accelerator system according to the present embodiment. The Mobil accelerator system 1 is used to produce RI for use in PET equipment when and where it is needed, and includes the linear accelerator LINAC 2 and the target room 3 The device 4 has a configuration in which it is mounted on a transport vehicle 5. Here, the RI manufacturing apparatus 4 takes out an ion source 6 for generating an ion beam that is a high-energy energy beam, a linac 2, an accelerator base 7 on which the ion source 6 and the linac 2 are mounted, and an accelerated ion beam. It comprises a conduit 8 and a shielded target chamber 3.

Linac 2 is a linear accelerator consisting of an ion source, a radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator, and a drift tube accelerator (DTL), and linearly accelerates ions using a high-frequency electric field. For this purpose, it is sometimes called a linear high-frequency accelerator. Since the components of Linac 2 are publicly known, detailed description is omitted.However, RFQ accelerators and DTLs have a strong converging lens action that cannot be achieved with a cyclotron-electrostatic accelerator. It is characterized by the ability to accelerate large currents. For this reason, the weight of Linac 2 is lighter than cyclotron accelerators, about 2 tons. Such a linac 2 is generally used as a low-speed accelerator for supplying an ion beam to a synchrotron radiation device that generates radiation used for physics research or therapy. In addition, in a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus, there is an example of use as an accelerator for implanting ions such as phosphorus (P) and boron (B) into a wafer.

As shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. Pipe 1 and circulating pump 13 and circulating pump 13 and piping for circulating coolant L 2 for indirect cooling of circulating water L 1 It is configured to include 14. The shield of the target chamber 3 is made of concrete, polyethylene, paraffin, or the like, and forms the outer wall of the target cell 11. The cooling liquid L2 includes water, liquid nitrogen, liquid helium and the like. The weight of such a shielded target chamber 3 is about 12 tons.

The transport vehicle 5 has an ion source 6, a linac 2, an accelerator rack 7, and a carrier 5 b on which the target room 3 is placed. Passive anti-vibration mechanisms such as air suspension to suppress vibration transmitted from the road surface through wheels 5a when carrying heavy equipment, and / or linac 2 It is desirable to provide an active vibration isolation mechanism such as a hydraulic actuator for detecting the vibration of the target chamber 3 and generating vibration that cancels the vibration. As described above, the linac 2 is about 2 tons, the target chamber 3 is about 12 tons, and even if 2 tons are added to the power supply for operation of each part, the total weight of the RI manufacturing apparatus 4 is still 16 tons. This is less than half the weight of the above-mentioned cyclotron method of 39 tons, and the RI manufacturing apparatus 4 of the present embodiment can be transported using a general vehicle. Such a mopile type accelerator system 1 can be moved anywhere in the country by the transport vehicle 5, so that it is possible to go to a medical institution located in a remote place or go to a medical institution only when there is demand. Therefore, each facility does not need to own expensive RI manufacturing equipment, and efficient operation becomes possible.

Next, the RI manufacturing process using the mopile accelerator system 1 will be described. First, when conducting a PET diagnosis, a medical institution specifies a place and date and time and makes a reservation for use at the management center of the mopile accelerator system 1. The management center checks the operation status by checking the reservation table, etc., and is able to dispatch the mopile accelerator system 1. If so, inform the medical institution. The mopile accelerator system 1 moves to a specified location at the date and time specified by the medical institution. At this time, a work technician may be carried on the carrier 5 as necessary.

The mopile accelerator system 1 arriving at the medical institution starts manufacturing RI. That is, the ion beam generated by the ion source 6 is accelerated by the linac 2, introduced into the target chamber 3 from the conduit 8, and irradiated to the target cell 11 shown in FIG. ^{1 8} 0 of the circulating water (H ₂ ^{1 8} 0) L 1 by irradiation of an ion beam passing through the target cell 1 1 is converted undergoing nuclear reaction to ^{1 8} F. The resulting H ₂ ^{1 8} F is supplied to the automated synthesis apparatus (not shown) medical institutions side's are synthesized in radiopharmaceutical ^{(1 8} F- FDG, full O b deoxyglucose) in an automatic synthesizer. The circulating water L1, whose temperature has risen due to ion beam irradiation, is cooled off by the coolant L2 circulating in the target chamber 3! ].

When a predetermined amount of RI has been manufactured, the ion source 6 and the linac 2 are stopped, and the circulation of the circulating water L 1 and the cooling liquid L 2 in the target chamber 3 is stopped. Then, the mopile accelerator system 1 leaves the medical institution and moves to a facility such as another medical institution. On the other hand, the medical institution that receives the RI and synthesizes the radiopharmaceutical administers the radiopharmaceutical to the patient and makes a diagnosis using its own PET device.

In this way, by using the linac 2 for RI production and making the RI production equipment transportable by vehicle as a mopile accelerator system 1, there is no need to own the RI production equipment 4 for each medical institution. It is possible to reduce equipment costs in the engine. In addition, since the medical institution does not need to constantly maintain the maintenance staff and the operation staff of the RI manufacturing apparatus 4, labor costs can be reduced. The medical institution pays a fixed fee to the management center on a monthly or yearly basis as a usage fee for the mobile accelerator system 1, or depending on the usage amount of the mopile accelerator system 1, that is, the amount of RI production. Or pay variable costs to the management center.

In addition, each of the Mopile accelerator system 1, medical institution and management center It is also possible to construct a dispatch system for the mopile accelerator system 1 by providing an information terminal device and making each information terminal device connectable to a network. In this case, the medical institution accesses the website on the Internet established by the management center and makes a reservation. The management center authenticates the medical institution and confirms the reservation information on the information terminal device, and notifies the medical institution of the reservation confirmation. The reservation contents are transferred to the information terminal device mounted on the transport vehicle 5 of the mopile type accelerator system 1 and used for confirming the transportation route and confirming the reservation.

(Second embodiment)

A second embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) are diagrams for explaining the configuration and usage of the mopile type accelerator system in the present embodiment, and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) show the accelerator portion and the target portion. FIG. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the mopile type accelerator system 21 of the present embodiment, an accelerator unit 22 as an accelerator part of an RI manufacturing apparatus and an irradiation apparatus 23 for RI manufacturing as a target part are separated and independent. 22 is configured so that it can be moved and used by a transport vehicle 24. That is, in this embodiment, only about 4 tons are transported by the accelerator unit 22 and the power supply (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the accelerator unit 22 is mounted on a carrier 24 of a carrier 24, and is configured to be movable and used. The accelerator unit 22 includes a linac 2 and an ion source 6 which are linear accelerators, an accelerator base 7 on which the linac 2 is mounted, and a conduit 25 for extracting an accelerated ion beam. Here, the conduit 25 has one end fixed to the linac 2 as shown in detail in FIG. 4 (a), and a gate valve 26 and a connection cut 27 attached to the other end. ing.

Linac 2 and ion source 6 and acceleration stand 7 are the same as in the first embodiment. The configuration and arrangement of are made. The carrier 24 b of the transport vehicle 24 is provided with an active and / or passive vibration isolation mechanism for suppressing vibration transmitted through the tire 24 a. Since the conduit 25 extends from the output end of the linac 2 and is connected to the gate pulp 26, the interior of the linac 2 and the conduit 25 are evacuated until they are connected to the RI manufacturing irradiation device 23. Is kept.

The connection unit 27 is provided for connection with the irradiation apparatus 23 for RI production, and includes a pipe 28 and a vacuum pump 29 and a pulp 30 which are rotary pumps as air means. It is configured. The connection unit 27 is arranged toward the opening / closing door 24 c of the carrier 24 b of the transport vehicle 5. Such a connection unit 27 is used to connect the accelerator unit 22 of the mobile accelerator system 21 with the irradiation apparatus 23 for RI production at the connection portion and along the ion beam path. It is intended to quickly evacuate the closed space of a certain piping 28. As a result, when connecting the accelerator portion and the target portion, there is an effect that evacuation can be performed in a short time and the RI manufacturing process can be promptly started.

As shown in FIG. 3 (a), the irradiation device 23 for manufacturing RI, which is a target unit, is installed and fixed in an RI generation room 31 such as a hospital. The irradiation apparatus 23 for RI production has a configuration in which the target chamber 3 whose configuration is shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 2 is covered with a shielding body such as concrete. Further, the irradiation device 23 for RI production is provided with a conduit 32 for guiding the ion beam to the target cell 11. As shown in FIG. 4 (a), the conduit 32 has a gate pulp 33 attached to its tip. Since the gate valve 33 is closed when the accelerator ut 22 is not connected, the vacuum state is maintained until the irradiation device 23 for RI production is connected to the accelerator ut 22. You. Further, an opening / closing door 31a is formed in the RI generation chamber 31 accommodating the irradiation apparatus 23 for RI production, and the opening / closing door 31a is opened when connected to the accelerator ut 22. . In addition, in the RI generation chamber 31, the position of the conduit 32 of the irradiation device 23 for RI production, the position of the conduit 25 of the accelerator unit 22 and the position of the pipe 28 of the connection unit 27 are different. Mounted on matching height bases 3 4.

The RI manufacturing process using the mopile accelerator system 21 of the present embodiment will be described. Here, since the reservation and the synthesis of the radiopharmaceutical are the same as described above, the description here will focus on the attachment / detachment of the accelerator unit 22 to the RI manufacturing irradiation device 23.

First, the mopile accelerator system 21 goes to the site based on the request of the medical institution. Then, with the open / close door 3 1a of the RI generation chamber 31 and the open / close door 24c of the transport vehicle 24 opened, the transport vehicle 24 is moved, and FIG. 3 (b) and As shown in Fig. 4 (b), which is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 3 (b), the flange of the gate pulp 33 of the conduit 32 of the irradiation apparatus 23 for RI production and the accelerator cut 22 Contact the flange 28 a of the connection unit 27. In this state, after the two flanges are fastened with bolts or the like, the vacuum pump 29 connected to the connection unit 27 is operated to exhaust the air in the closed space of the connection unit 27. Measured by a pressure gauge (not shown) the pressure in the pipe 2 8 connection Yunitto 2 7 Once reached a predetermined pressure (e.g., 1 0- ² P a), the vacuum valve 3 0 provided in front of the vacuum pump 2 9 After closing, open each gate pulp 26, 33. As a result, the pipe 28 is evacuated by the irradiation system provided for the RI manufacturing irradiation device 23, or the linac 2, and the conduit 25 and the conduit 32 are connected through the connection unit 27. It is connected in a vacuum state (for example 1 0- ⁴ P a). The exhaust system provided in the irradiation device 23 for RI production and / or the linac 2 may be a turbo molecular pump, a cryopump, or a combination of these rotary pumps.

In this state, the ion beam generated by the ion source 6 and accelerated by the linac 2 is irradiated to the target cell 11 (see FIG. 2) via the conduits 25 and 32. Circulating water as described above the data one Gettoseru 1 1 (H ₂ ^{1 8} 0) than L 1 are passed through, nuclear reactions ^{1 8} 0 to ^{1 8} F by ion beam passing through the target cell 1 1 To Then, take out the ¹⁸ F, synthesize the radiopharmaceutical with an automatic synthesizer, and use it for PET diagnosis. Used. Instead of the circulating water L 1 in accordance with the diagnostic purposes. Oxygen gas flowed through the, it is also possible to produce a ¹ ⁵ 0.

Then, when the synthesis of a predetermined amount of radiopharmaceutical is successful, the irradiation unit 23 for RI production and the accelerator unit 22 are separated. First, after stopping the ion source 6 and the linac 2 in order, close the gate valves 26, 33 connected to the conduits 25, 32. After closing the gate valves 26 and 33, open the leak valve (not shown) of the connection unit 27 and open the piping 28 of the connection unit 27 to the atmosphere. Then, remove the bolts that fastened the flange 28 a of the connection unit 27 to the flange of the gate valve 33. After removing the bolts, the transport vehicle 24 is moved to separate the RI manufacturing irradiation device 23 from the accelerator unit 22. Then, when the space between the RI generation chamber 31 and the transport vehicle 24 is sufficiently opened, the respective open / close doors 24c and 3la are closed. Then, the mobile accelerator system 21 starts moving to a facility such as another medical institution.

In such a mobile accelerator system 21, the movement of the RI manufacturing equipment was greatly facilitated by dividing the RI manufacturing equipment by its function and transporting only the accelerator unit 22 as a minimum facility. In particular, the weight is large but the stationary medical institutions target chamber ₃ has a low need for maintenance as _R I producing irradiation apparatus 2 3, Weight is small movable higher accelerator Yuetsuto 2 2 need of maintenance Therefore, the mopile accelerator system 21 for RI manufacturing can be widely spread, and PET diagnosis becomes easy regardless of the location. Medical institutions will be able to obtain radiopharmaceuticals with low capital investment and administrative costs. On the other hand, the mopile accelerator system 21 has only minimal equipment and needs to be transported, so efficient management and operation becomes possible.

The connection unit 27 may be provided in the irradiation device 23 for manufacturing RI. The vacuum pump 29 need not be a dedicated component for the connection unit 27, but can also be used as the accelerator unit 22 or the vacuum pump for the exhaust system of the RI manufacturing irradiation unit 23. May be.

(Third embodiment)

A third embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b) are diagrams for explaining the configuration and usage of the mopile accelerator system according to the present embodiment. FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b) show the accelerator portion and the target portion. FIG. The same components as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In the mopile accelerator system 51 of the present embodiment, an accelerator unit 52, which is an accelerator part of an RI manufacturing apparatus, and an irradiation apparatus 53 for RI manufacturing, which is a target part, are separated and independent. It is located at 24, 44. As shown in Fig. 5 (a) and a partially enlarged view of Fig. 6 (a), the accelerator unit 52 is composed of a linac 2 and an ion source 6, which are linear accelerators, and their accelerator bases 7 It comprises a conduit 25 extending from the output end of the linac 2 and a connection unit 27 fixed to the conduit 25 via a gate valve 26. Here, the conduit 25 and the connection unit 27 have the same configuration as in the second embodiment. Further, the accelerator base 7 is fixed to the elevating device 61. The lifting / lowering device 61 is composed of a rod 62 that moves up and down by hydraulic pressure and an air damper 63. The transport vehicle 24 has the same configuration, and has a load of about 4 tons with the accelerator unit 52 and the power supply.

The irradiation unit 53 for RI production, which is a target unit, includes a target chamber 3 whose configuration is shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. 2 and a conduit 32 extending from the target chamber 3. It is placed on the bed 4 4. The loading platform 44 has an opening / closing door 44c, and the gate valve 33 at the end of the conduit 32 is arranged toward the opening / closing door 44c. Since the weight of the irradiation device 53 for RI production is approximately 12 tons including the shield, it can be transported by vehicle. The irradiation device 53 for RI production is fixed to the lifting device 71. The lifting device 71 is composed of a rod 72 that moves up and down hydraulically and an air damper. It is composed of pa 73.

An RI manufacturing process using the mopile accelerator system 51 of the present embodiment will be described. Here, since the reservation and the synthesis of the radiopharmaceutical are the same as described above, the description here will focus on the attachment / detachment of the accelerator ütt 52 to the irradiation device 53 for RI production.

First, at the request of the medical institution, a transport vehicle 24 on which the accelerator unit 52 is mounted and a transport vehicle 44 on which the irradiation device 53 for RI production are mounted go to the respective sites. Further, with the doors 24c of the transport vehicle 24 and the doors 44c of the transport vehicle 44 opened, the transport vehicles 24 and Z or the transport vehicle 44 are moved. As shown in (b) and Fig. 6 (b), which is an enlarged view of the figure, the connection between the flange of the gate valve 33 of the conduit 32 of the irradiation device 53 for RI production and the accelerator unit 52 is shown. Unit 27 is brought into contact with flange 28a. In this state, after fastening both flanges with bolts or the like, the piping 28 of the connection unit 27 is evacuated. After evacuation, the gate pulp 26, 33 is opened to communicate the linac 2 with the target chamber 11 (see Fig. 2).

Then, the target cell 11 is irradiated with the ion beam generated by the ion source 6 and accelerated by the linac 2 via the conduits 25 and 32. Since the circulating water as described above to the target cell 1 1 (H ₂ ^{1 8} 0) L 1 is flowing through the nucleus ^{1 8} 0 to ^{1 8} F by irradiation of the ion beam that has passed through the target cell Le 1 1 react. Then, ¹⁸ F is taken out, radiopharmaceuticals are synthesized by an automatic synthesizer, and used for PET diagnosis.

When the RI manufacturing process is completed, stop the ion source 6 and the linac 2 in that order, and close the gate valves 26 and 33. After releasing the connection unit 27 to the atmosphere, the bolts are removed, the transport vehicles 24, 44 are moved, and the accelerator unit 52 is separated from the RI manufacturing irradiation device 53. After closing the doors 24c, 44c, the transport vehicles 24, 44 start moving to other facilities such as medical institutions.

Such a mopile accelerator system 51 can move the entire RI manufacturing equipment. This eliminates the need for medical institutions to own equipment. In addition, the mopile accelerator system 51 transports the two components divided by function using separate transport vehicles 24, 44, thereby reducing the size of each transport vehicle 24, 44, Can be facilitated. This makes it possible to manufacture RI anywhere.

The accelerator unit 52 of the mobile accelerator system 51 and the illuminator 53 for RI production are equipped with elevating devices 61 and 71 for adjusting the height of both, so that connection can be made easily. Becomes possible. In this way, the accelerator section and the target section can be connected with their heights completely matched, and the ion beam is not lost due to the beam line shift, and the high current beam is maintained. The effect is that the target can be irradiated.

Further, in order to prevent the beam line from being shifted, it is desirable that the accelerator unit 52 and the irradiation device 53 for RI manufacturing can be finely adjusted in the up and down, left and right, front and rear, and tilt. Fine adjustment up and down is performed by providing a level adjuster. In addition, the tilt is confirmed by providing a level or hanging a weight, and is finely adjusted by appropriately adjusting the level adjuster. Further, the horizontal direction with respect to the beam line is adjusted by a lateral slide mechanism that moves the accelerator unit 52 and / or the irradiation device 53 for RI production in the lateral direction. The longitudinal direction, that is, the beam line direction is adjusted by a longitudinal slide mechanism that moves the accelerator unit 52 and / or the RI manufacturing irradiation device 53 in the longitudinal direction. Further, a steering magnet may be arranged between the linac 2 and the conduit 25. The steering magnet has two sets of magnets arranged in parallel with the ion beam in between, and fine adjustment of the ion beam in the vertical direction is performed using a magnetic field generated between a pair of magnets arranged above and below the ion beam. Then, fine adjustment of the ion beam in the horizontal direction is performed using a magnetic field generated between a pair of magnets arranged in the horizontal direction of the ion beam. Here, as a method of confirming the deviation of the beam line, there is a method of monitoring a current flowing through a shirt placed in front of the target cell 11. This shutter is provided to prevent the target cell 11 from being irradiated with an ion beam before the start of RI generation. If the beam line is shifted, the position of the shirt and the position of the ion beam are shifted, so that the contact area between the two is reduced, and the current generated in the shirt by the irradiation of the ion beam is reduced. If the beam line is adjusted so that the current flowing through the shirt is maximized, the displacement between the ion beam and the target cell 11 is eliminated, and RI production can be performed efficiently.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, but can be widely applied.

An air nozzle is installed in the ceiling of the RI generation room 31 and the loading platforms 5b, 24b, and 44b of the transport vehicles 5, 24, and 44, and an air compressor is installed. It is desirable to create a simple clean room by generating a down flow of air in 5b, 24b, and 44b so that dust and dust are not scattered.

In addition to the accelerator unit 22 or the RI unit irradiation unit 53 including the accelerator unit 52 and the target cell 11, PET equipment is also mounted on a transport vehicle, and even in medical institutions that do not have PET equipment. PET diagnosis may be performed. In addition, the accelerator units 22 and 52 may be fixed to a medical institution, and the irradiation device 53 for RI production may be configured to be transportable. It can be applied to medical institutions that have radiotherapy equipment.

In the third embodiment, the lifting devices 61 and 71 may be configured to include only the lifting device 61. In this case, since the accelerator unit 52 is lightweight, the configuration of the elevating device 61 can be simplified. On the other hand, by not having the elevating device 71, the target unit can be reduced in size and weight, and can be easily transported. Further, the lifting device 61 and / or the lifting device 71 may be applied to the accelerator unit 22 and the RI manufacturing irradiation device 23 of the second embodiment. Accelerator unit 22 for RI production The connection of the irradiation devices 23 is facilitated, the displacement of the ion beam is prevented, and the efficiency of RI production can be increased. Here, an embodiment in which only the lifting / lowering device 71 is provided in the irradiation device 23 for RI production is also effective.

As described above, according to the present invention, at least a part of the RI manufacturing apparatus is configured to be movable, thereby making it possible to perform RI manufacturing at a necessary place when performing PET diagnosis. Further, by performing the RI manufacturing in this manner, the operation rate of the device can be improved, so that the cost required for one RI manufacturing can be reduced.

Claims

The scope of the claims

1. Includes an accelerator for generating an ion beam for producing a radionuclide, and a target for irradiating the ion beam, wherein the accelerator is a linear accelerator and transports the accelerator and the target. A mopile accelerator system characterized by comprising means.

2. The mobile accelerator system according to claim 1, wherein the transport means is a means capable of independently transporting the linear accelerator and the target.

3. The mopile accelerator system according to claim 1, further comprising exhaust means for evacuating a closed space in a connection portion between the linear accelerator and the target.

4. The mobile accelerator system according to claim 1, wherein the transportation means includes a low vibration mechanism for carrying heavy weight.

5. An apparatus for producing a radionuclide by irradiating a target with an ion beam, comprising: a linear accelerator for generating the ion beam; a transport unit for transporting the linear accelerator; and the target. A mopile accelerator system comprising: a connecting means for detachably connecting the linear accelerator to a fixed target unit.

6. The mobile accelerator system according to claim 5, further comprising an exhaust unit for evacuating a closed space generated when the linear accelerator is connected to the target.

7. The mopile accelerator system according to claim 5, wherein the transportation means includes a low vibration mechanism for carrying heavy weight.

8. A method for producing a radionuclide by irradiating a target with an ion beam emitted from an accelerator,

A connection step of transporting an accelerator unit having a linear accelerator as the accelerator, and connecting the accelerator unit to a target unit having the target; An evacuation step of evacuating the air remaining in a closed space formed in a connection portion between the accelerator unit and the target unit connected in the connection step, and the linear type through the closed space after the evacuation. Irradiating the target with the ion beam from an accelerator;

A method for producing a radionuclide comprising:

9. The method for producing a radionuclide according to claim 7, wherein the connecting step includes a step of adjusting at least one of the accelerator unit and the target unit.

10. The method for producing a radionuclide according to claim 7, wherein the connecting step includes a step of transporting the target unit.

1 1. A system including a device for producing radionuclides by irradiating a target with an ion beam,

A linear accelerator for generating the ion beam is configured to be transportable; an open / close pulp is provided on an output side of the linear accelerator; and a tubular body having one open end fixed to the open / close valve is provided. A mobile accelerator system having an exhaust unit capable of evacuating the cylindrical body so that the target is irradiated with the ion beam when the body is sealed.