A shielding assembly may be used in a nuclear medicine infusion system that generates and infuse radioactive liquid into a patient undergoing a diagnostic imaging procedure. In some examples, the shielding assembly has multiple compartments each formed of a shielding material providing a barrier to radioactive radiation. For example, the shielding assembly may have a first compartment configured to receive a radioisotope generator that generates a radioactive eluate via elution, a second compartment configured to receive a beta detector, and a third compartment configured to receive a gamma detector. In some examples, the compartments are arranged to minimize background radiation emitted by the radioisotope generator and detected by the gamma detector to enhance the quality of the measurements made by the gamma detector.

A method of producing radionuclides from irradiation targets in a nuclear reactor uses at least one instrumentation tube system of a commercial nuclear reactor. Irradiation targets and dummy targets are inserted into an instrumentation finger and the irradiation targets are activated by exposing them to neutron flux in the nuclear reactor core to form a radionuclide. The dummy targets hold the irradiation targets at a predetermined axial position in the reactor core corresponding to a pre-calculated neutron flux density sufficient for converting the irradiation targets to the radionuclide. Separating the dummy targets from the activated irradiation targets includes exposure to a magnetic field to retain either the dummy targets or the activated irradiation targets in the instrumentation tube system and release the other one of the activated irradiation target or the dummy target from the instrumentation tube system. An apparatus adapted to the above method is also provided.

A system includes a radiation containment chamber, an isolator connected to the radiation containment chamber, a rotating transfer door positioned between the radiation containment chamber and the isolator, and an antimicrobial vapor generator connected to the isolator. The rotating transfer door includes a cavity for receiving a radionuclide generator column assembly, and is rotatable between a first position, in which the cavity is open to the radiation containment chamber, and a second position, in which the cavity is open to the isolator. The transfer door is adapted to rotate while antimicrobial vapor is introduced into the isolator by the antimicrobial vapor generator.

A system for manufacturing radionuclide generators includes an enclosure defining a radioactive environment. The enclosure includes radiation shielding to prevent radiation within the radioactive environment from moving to an exterior of the enclosure. The system also includes a conveyance system having a forward track and first carriages positioned on and movable along the forward track for conveying racks in a first direction. The conveyance system also includes a first walking beam mechanism magnetically coupled to the first carriages to move the first carriages. The conveyance system further includes a return track and second carriages positioned on and movable along the return track for conveying racks in a second direction opposite the first direction. The forward track and the return track form a loop.

A device for purifying and formulating a radiopharmaceutical compound includes an automated purification subsystem that automates the loading of a sample into a sample loop for downstream purification via HPLC. A column selector valve is provided to select from one of a plurality of columns. Fractions can be collected as well as the desired product. The device includes an automated formulation subsystem that first sends the product to a dilution reservoir prior to being pneumatically pushed onto a solid phase extraction (SPE) cartridge. Automated rinse, elution, and reconstitution are also performed with the automated formulation subsystem. The device may be directly coupled to the output of an automated radiosynthesizer.

A method for obtaining .sup.225AC from .sup.225Ra having the steps of assembling a column having an inorganic stationary phase; priming the column to immobilize .sup.226Ra .sup.225Ra and natural decay products therefrom; immobilizing the .sup.226Ra, .sup.225Ra, .sup.224Ra, and natural decay products therefrom onto a stationary phase within the column; and eluting the column containing the .sup.225Ra with an aqueous sulfate solution to obtain a milking effluent that contains .sup.225AC. Also provided is a method for obtaining pure .sup.225AC from its isotope parents, the method comprising assembling a column having a stationary phase comprising an inorganic material; priming the column with the isotope parents to immobilize .sup.225Ac, and natural decay products of .sup.225AC; immobilizing the .sup.225Ac, and natural decay products therefrom onto the stationary phase within the column .sup.226Ra, .sup.225Ra, .sup.224Ra; and eluting the column containing the .sup.225AC to obtain an effluent that contains the isotope parents.

A means for installing material, through a fuel assembly instrument thimble insert, into the existing instrument thimbles in nuclear fuel assemblies for the purpose of allowing the material to be converted to commercially valuable quantities of desired radioisotopes during reactor power operations during a remainder of a fuel cycle and removing the radioisotopes from the core through the reactor flange opening once the fuel assemblies have been removed for refueling. The invention also describes methods that can be used to harvest the irradiated material so it can be packaged for transportation from the reactor to a location where the desired radioisotope(s) can be extracted from the fuel assembly instrument thimble insert.

A system for manufacturing radionuclide generators includes an enclosure defining a radioactive environment. The enclosure includes radiation shielding to prevent radiation within the radioactive environment from moving to an exterior of the enclosure. The system also includes a pump within the enclosure for transferring fluid through tubing. The pump includes a pump head including a casing, a rotor that rotates in relation to the casing, and a clamp. The tubing extends through the pump head. The clamp compresses the tubing against the rotor and directs radioactive fluid through the tubing as the rotor rotates. The pump also includes a servomotor that controls the rotation of the rotor and a coupling connecting the pump head to the servomotor. The coupling prevents backlash between the servomotor and the rotor during rotation.

An alternating flow column chromatography apparatus comprising a U shaped or T shaped separation column including at least one loading port for loading of components for separation, a first purification column in fluid communication with one end of the separation column and a second purification column in fluid communication with another end of the separation column, at least one eluent input port, an eluate output port and an alternating flow valve in fluid communication with the primary eluent input port, the eluate output port, the first purification column and the second purification column wherein, when operated, the alternating flow valve reverses the flow of eluent through the purification columns and the separation column. Also a method of using the apparatus. A benefit of the apparatus and method is more efficient operation compared to existing direct flow column chromatography apparatuses.

Disclosed herein are embodiments of a method for producing thorium-226. The method comprises separating thorium-226 from uranium-230 to produce a solution of thorium-226 in a solvent, such as a chelating buffer, suitable for direct labeling by a chelate. The thorium-226 may be separated from the uranium-230 using extraction chromatography. The extraction may be repeated multiple times as additional thorium-226 is produced by uranium-230 decay.