Research on Iodine-123 Recycling Process Equipment System Using 30MeV Cyclotron = 30MeV 사이클로트론을 이용한 Iodine-123 재활용 공정 장치 시스템에 관한 연구

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

123I is a nuclide for the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, and various
radiolabeled compounds can be produced using 123I, and the production of
therapeutic drugs is increasing as patient demand increases year by year.
123I is also essential for the production of radiopharmaceuticals such as
FP-CIT and mIBG. The domestic supply of 123I, which is mainly used to
diagnose thyroid cancer, is only produced by the KIRAMS and distributed
to the domestic market, while the remaining part is imported. Therefore,
it is urgent to develop a stable complementary system to the existing
system and additional production equipment to supply 123I in Korea in
order to continue to supply 123I in a safe and sustainable manner. If a
production automation system is introduced to reduce radiation exposure
when workers produce radiopharmaceuticals, it can ensure the safety of
workers with minimal exposure and produce radiopharmaceuticals with
higher accuracy.
We designed and Developed a system to transfer 124Xe gas from GPM
to the target by applying a nuclear reaction that is possible when protons
from a 30MeV cyclotron irradiate a
124Xe gas target system. he system
design consists of the four main parts. Each hardware part was designed
using Solidworks 2023 Version (Dassault Systemes inc.). Target designed
the Havor Foil to be cooled with helium and the water to cool the rising
temperature of the 124Xe Gas in the Target when irradiated, and built in
temperature and pressure sensors to make it visible. The GPM is the
part that prepares the 124Xe Gas for transportation and includes the part
that holds the 124Xe Gas (Storage Vessel) and the part that removes
impurities (Cold Trap). The HCS (Helium Circulation System) uses
helium to clean and cool each part. Each of these parts is controlled by a
SIEMENS PLC (STEP 7, S400) for convenience in maintenance, and PC
Vue is used to interface with the SIEMENS PLC more securely.
In addition, the high purity 124Xe in the Dewar must be transported to
the target for beam irradiation, which is subject to temperature and
pressure differences. The system is designed to minimize the loss of 124Xe
gas and to recycle the used 124Xe. The expensive 124Xe gas must be
managed efficiently, and the 123I produced must reach the column safely
and without loss, and it is also important to prevent contamination of the
piping after production, so a cleaning system using high-purity helium
and a heater was developed. This thesis presents the design, fabrication,
and commissioning of the GPM (Gas Process Manifold), HCS, and
WPM(Wash Process Manifold) to minimize the loss of 124Xe and
maximize the recovery rate of 1% ammonium ions during recovery to
minimize the amount of residual 124Xe and residual 123I remaining in each
pipe, and to create an efficient radiopharmaceutical production system.

국문 초록 (Abstract)

123I는 갑상선암 진단을 위한 핵종이며, 123I를 사용하여 다양한 방사성
의약품 화합물을 생산할 수 있으며, 환자 수요가 해마다 증가함에 따라
치료약 생산이 증가하고 있다. 123I는 FP-CIT와 mIBG 같은 방사성 의약
품 생산에도 필수적이다. 갑상선암 진단에 주로 사용되는 123I의 국내 공
급은 한국원자력의학원에서만 생산되어 국내 시장에 유통되고 있으며, 나
머지 부분은 수입되고 있다. 따라서 123I를 안전하고 지속적으로 공급하기
위해서는 기존 시스템에 대한 안정적인 보완 시스템과 국내 123I 공급을
위한 추가 생산 설비를 개발하는 것이 시급하다. 방사성 의약품 생산 시
작업자의 방사선 피폭을 줄이기 위해 생산 자동화 시스템을 도입하면 작
업자의 안전을 보장하고 방사성 의약품의 정확도를 높일 수 있다. 이 논
문은 사이클로트론30의 양성자가 124Xe 기체 가스 시스템에 빔이 조사될
때 가능한 핵반응을 적용하여 GPM에서 표적까지 124Xe 가스를 전달하는
시스템을 설계하고 개발했다. 각 하드웨어 부분은 Solidworks를 사용하여
설계했다. 타겟은 헬륨으로 냉각되는 하버 포일과 방사선 조사 시 타겟
내 124Xe 가스의 상승 온도를 냉각하는 물로 구성된 하버 포일을 설계하
고, 이를 가시화하기 위해 온도 및 압력 센서를 내장했다. GPM은 124Xe
가스를 운송할 수 있도록 준비하는 부분으로, 124Xe 가스를 담는 부분(저
장 용기)과 불순물을 제거하는 부분(콜드 트랩)을 포함한다. HCS(헬륨
순환 시스템)는 헬륨을 사용하여 각 부품을 세척하고 냉각한다. 이러한
각 부품은 유지보수의 편의를 위해 SIEMENS PLC(STEP 7, S400)에 의
해 제어되며, PC Vue는 SIEMENS PLC와의 인터페이스를 보다 안전하
게 사용하기 위해 사용된다.
또한, 듀어에 있는 초고순도 124Xe는 빔 조사용 타겟으로 운반되어야
하는데, 이 과정에서 온도와 압력 차이를 이용한다. 이 시스템은 124Xe
가스의 손실을 최소화하고 사용한 124Xe를 재활용하도록 개발했다. 고가
의 124Xe 가스는 효율적으로 관리되어야 하고, 생성된 123I는 손실 없이
안전하게 컬럼에 도달해야 하며, 생성 후 배관의 오염을 방지하는 것도
중요하기 때문에 고순도 헬륨과 히터를 사용하는 세척 시스템이 개발했
다.
이 논문은 124Xe의 손실을 최소화하고 회수 시 1% 암모늄 이온의 회
수율을 극대화하여 각각의 배관에 남아 있는 124Xe와 123I의 잔량을 최소
화하고 효율적인 방사성 의약품 생산 시스템을 구축하기 위한 GPM(Gas
Process Manifold), HCS, WPM(Wash Process Manifold)의 설계, 제작,
시운전에 대해 설명한다.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• І. Introduction ····································································································· 1
• 1. Background of the study ·········································································· 1
• 2. Purpose ·········································································································· 4
• Ⅱ. Cyclotron ····································································································· 8
• 1. Cyclotron ····································································································· 8
• A. Vacuum System ··················································································· 11
• B. Main magnet System ·········································································· 13
• C. RF System ····························································································· 14
• D. Beam Injector ························································································ 18
• 1) Filament Current (Source Current = SC4) ································ 21
• 2) Arc Voltage ························································································ 21
• 2) Gas Flow ····························································································· 22
• 2) Suppression Voltage ········································································· 22
• E. Extraction System ················································································ 23
• F. Beam Line ······························································································· 23
• 2. Radiopharmaceuticals ················································································ 26
• A. 123I-FP-CIT SPECT ············································································ 27
• B. 123I-mIBG ································································································ 28
• 1) Pheochromocytoma ··········································································· 29
• 2) Neuroblastoma ··················································································· 31
• Ⅲ. System configuration ··········································································· 34
• 1. 124Xe Target system ················································································ 36
• A. 124Xe Target ··························································································· 37
• B. Target Cradle ························································································ 39
• 2. HSC(Helium Circulation System) ························································· 41
• A. Helium supply system ········································································ 44
• B. Cooling system ······················································································ 47
• C. Extraction system ················································································· 50
• D. Compressed Air Supply system ······················································· 51
• 3. GPM(Gas Process Manifold) ·································································· 52
• A. Cold Trap ······························································································· 55
• B. Storage Vessel ······················································································ 56
• C. Molecular Sieve Filter ········································································· 57
• D. Transfer Line ························································································ 59
• 5. WPM(Wash Process Manifold) ····························································· 60
• 6. Control System ······················································································· 62
• A. PLC ·········································································································· 62
• B. Interlock system ··················································································· 67
• C. UI Design using PC Vue ··································································· 70
• Ⅳ. 123I Supply and recovery experiments and results ················· 74
• 1. Vacuum Experiments ··············································································· 74
• 2. 124Xe gas transmission and recovery experiments ·························· 77
• A. Experimenting with 124Xe gas transfer from replenishment
• vessel to target ····················································································· 79
• B. Experimenting with 124Xe gas transfer from replenishment
• vessel to target ····················································································· 81
• C. Experiment to recover residual 124Xe gas using the
• Cold Trap (GDEW-1) ········································································· 83
• D. System Drying ······················································································ 85
• E. 124Xe gas transfer and recovery experiment validation ············· 87
• 3. Experimenting with the 123I Recovery System ································· 89
• A. Recover from the bottom to top with a recovery solution ····· 89
• B. Recover from the top to bottom with a recovery solution ······ 91
• C. Validate 123I Recovery ········································································· 93
• Ⅴ. Conclusion ·································································································· 97
• References ······································································································ 102
• 논문요약 ··········································································································· 107