NSF-MRI 2013

Title

MRI: The Development of an Instrument for Isotope Production and Photon Activation Analysis (MRI Track 2)

Proj Summary

Each proposal must contain a summary of the proposed project not more than one page in length. The Project Summary consists of an overview, a statement on the intellectual merit of the proposed activity, and a statement on the broader impacts of the proposed activity.

\centerlineTemplate:\bf Project Summary: The Development of an Instrument for Isotope Production and Photon Activation Analysis (MRI Track 2)

%\centerline{{\bf PIs}: Tony Forest, Alan Hunt, Phil Cole, Valeriia Starovoitova

Project Description

\section{Introduction}

We propose to develop an instrument that will irradiate materials for the purpose of supplying isotopes and facilitate multidisciplinary research using Photon Activation Analysis (PAA).. In June of 2012, the Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC) received a grant from the state of Idaho as part of the Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) program. One of the proposed objectives was to investigate the use of an electron accelerator to produce copper isotopes for use in medical diagnostic procedures. Preliminary results of the work sponsored by this research have indicated that the production of copper isotopes, and isotopes in general, strongly depends on the alignment of incident radiation to the sample. While a sample size of 2 cm is predicted to produce the highest number of isotopes per volume, a misalignment of more than a centimeter may reduce the amount of isotopes produced by a factor of at least two. The results of this work illustrates the need for a system to monitor the spatial distribution of the photons used to irradiate the samples as well as a system to transport samples into and out of the high radiation area.

The above research in accelerator based isotope production has also enhanced the IAC's Photon Activation Analysis (PAA) capabilities. The high photon luminosity used to produce isotopes can also irradiate samples for the purpose of quantifying the concentration of chemical elements within the sample. While previous PAA measurements done a the IAC have demonstrated the ability to measure chemical species to the $\mu$ g per g (PPM) level, there is pressing need to improve the systematics related to sample irradiation. A system to transport samples into and out of the high radiation area in a controlled and reproduceable manner is needed. The system will also provide a mechanism to extract high activity from the irradiation area and into a shielded containment vessel for safe handling.

Based on the above research, we propose to develop an instrument, that qualifies for the MRI category ``Track 2, to produce isotopes and perform Photon Activation Analysis (PAA) services. The equipment needed to construct this instrument will leverage State and Federal funds. The second year work under the IGEM grant will seek to install a transport system to remotely moves samples in and out of the high radiation area. We request MRI funds to supplement this investment allowing the procurement of a more advanced transports system as well as a set of detectors and beam steerers to improve the irradiation quality and reduce sample heating. Funds from the MRI and the IGEM grant will be pooled to pay for the procurement and installation of the transport system. The MRI will further support the procurement of CVD diamond detectors to measure the radiation field in situ as well as beam position monitors and steering coils to position the radiation at the optimal location to maximize irradiation of the sample and as a result isotope activity. A bending magnet will be used to sweep electrons away from the sample thereby reducing heating of the sample by at least 80\%.

Intellectual Merits

Broader impacts

The proposed instrument serves is a training facility as well as provide a service to both industry and research. As part of Idaho State University's Idaho Accelerator Center, the proposed instrument will serve as an education and training platform for students. Students in the accelerator physics program at ISU can receive hands on training in accelerator operations as well as investigate ways to improve accelerator performance for irradiating materials to produce isotopes or perform photon activation analysis. The insturments ability to producte isotopes can help reduce the isotope shortage being reported by DOE's National Isotope Center. The production of Cu-67, a current research project, can be used as an antibody label for cancer therapy and imaging. PAA has an established record of its impact on several research areas including environmental studies, material science, forensic science, biochemistry, art, archaeology, and other areas which rely on using a non-destructive method to quantify the elements present in materials.

a.) Information

\section{Information about the Proposal (a)}

\subsubsection{Instrument Location and Type (a.1)}

Physical location: Idaho Accelerator Center, Pocatello, ID

Instrument type: MRI-61

\subsubsection{Justification for Submission as a Development (Track 2) Proposal (a.2)} (1 page)

The proposed instrument will be developed by combining several instruments from different vendors with an electron accelerator currently in operation at the Idaho Accelerator Center. A substantial amount of effort will be undertaken to transform the electron accelerator into a tool for isotope production and PAA. Preliminary results indicate that the electron accelerator can be developed into an instrument that is more efficient, stable, and effective at providing the service of isotope production and photon activation analysis. A key ingredient to the instrument will be a transport system (Rabbit) to remotely position samples at an optimum location for irradiation. The Idaho Accelerator Center's on staff engineers will install the system developed in conjunction with IntelliTrack,Inc. The second key component is a beam control and feedback system that will allow operators to deliver a constant flux of photons to the specified sample location. The implementation of CVD diamond photon detectors capable of measuring the high photon flux of $10^2$ photons/sec/cm$^2$ will be a challenge. The remote transport system and the photon flux monitor each represent the development of an instrument. An instrument for Isotope production and PAA can be developed by combining each of the two instruments above with an electron accelerator. The development of this instrument will require the design and fabrication talents of engineers as well as the quality control and measurement expertise of scientists.

We propose to acquire and install the equipment for a photon beam monitoring system and a conveyor system to transport irradiation samples into and out of the radiation cell. This equipment, when combined with our existing facility, will increase our isotope production effiicency by at least two fold. Matching support from the IGEM project will be used to design and install a conveyor system while the MRI will purchase the system components. The conveyor, commonly referred to as a Rabbit, will transport samples into the irradiation region and then to a shielded container (lead pig) after irradiation. The transportation system is a necessity due to the high activity isotopes that are be produced. When used as an instrument for PAA, the transportation system can eliminate the step of shutting the accelerator off in order to change to the control sample thereby risking a change in the experimental conditions whose uniformity is essential for meaningful measurements. Once calibrated, the photon monitoring system would allow users to irradiate a sample with a known amount of radiation. \\

b.) Research Activities

\section{Research Activities to be Enabled (b)} ( 4 pages) The research activities to be enabled by the proposed instrument can be grouped into two categories; Isotope production and Photon Activation Analysis.

\subsection{current isotope crisis}

In fiscal year 2011, the Department of Energy's Isotope program had a budget of \$48.5 million that was used to send about 450 shipments of isotopes to over 150 industrial users and 100 researchers. ~\cite{FY2013CongBudgetOff} The Isotope Production Facility (IPF) at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer (BLIP) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, and processing facilities at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORL) are the three primary facilities for isotope production.

\subsection{accelerator based isotope production}

A common method used to artificially produced isotopes bombards materials with the neutron flux from a nuclear reactor. We propose produce isotopes using the bremsstrahlung photons produced by the interaction of an accelerated electron beam with a Tungsten converter in order to remove a proton or neutron from a nucleus. In most cases, the isotope will be produced from naturally occurring material. For example, Irridium-192, used by industry to test flaws in metals via gamma radiography, can be produced when a photon has sufficient energy to remove on of the neutrons in Irridium-193. Sixty three percents of naturally occurring Irridium is in the form of Irridium-163 while the remaining fraction of Irridium is in the form of Irridium-191. Nuclear reactors can produce Irridium-192 using the less dominant natural isotope Irricium-191. The cross section for the photo-production of Irridium -192 from Ir-193 peaks around 0.5 barns for 13 MeV photons(http://cdfe.sinp.msu.ru/services/exfor/m0049.exf). The thermal neutron capture cross section for Ir-191 is about 400 barns, 800 times larger than photo-production of Ir-192 from Ir-193. The photoprodction of Ir-192 would be competitive with the produciton of Ir-192 from nuclear reactors if the photon flux is more than 400 time higher than the avialable neutron flux.

of energy at will need to be within an order of magnitude of  the cross-section for neutron activation in order for photo-production to be competitive.  

\subsection{interdisciplinary research enabled by the device}

Christians abstract for introduction

http://www.physics.isu.edu/colloquium/segebade07.html

Photon Activation Analysis (PAA) has been deployed as a research tool at the Idaho Accelerator Center for the past several years thanks mostly to visiting scientist Christian Segabade, one of the developers and leading experts in the field of PAA . The method has been used to quantify the content of materials based on the energy of photons emitted from nucleii that are transitioning from excited states after being pushed there as a result of their exposure to an intense photon beam produced through bremsstrahlung using the IAC's electron accelerators. PAA's most useful attribute is that it requires little to no sample preparation to non-destructively make an accurate measurement of a material's elemental composition.

\subsubsection{Moon Dust Characterization}

PAA was used to determine the trace elements present in the Minnessota Lunar Simulant 1 (MLS-1) material synthesized to approximate soil sample 10084 from the Apollo 11 mare material. The work was done in collaboration with the University of Colorado who provided the simulant for the test. Synthesized materials, like MLS-1, were produced to aide in the development of next generation lunar technologies for future lunar missions. Figure XXX quantifies PAA's ability to measure the trace elements of this material. The results of this work indicate that PAA was able to reproduce previous measurements of the simulant's chemical composition using a different technique known as differential thermal analysis. PAA also seems to be as precise if not more precise than the previous measurements by Tucker and Setzer.

\subsubsection{environmental science}

PAAs ability to measure the elemental composition of pollutants can be used to identify the source of these pollutants since these elements characterize specific industrial processes or even geological locations.

One of such applications is environmental science which traditionally involves analyzing air, water and soil samples. The sensitivity of PAA allows the analysis of small trace quantities of elements; many elements of environmental relevance can be detected in the nanogram level. This is of particular importance in the analysis of air particulate; usually total amounts of only a few milligrams or less collected on air dust filters are available for analytical investigations. The multi-step analytical procedure used in treating samples chemically is complicated. Moreover, due to the expected small masses of the “dust particles” (10 to 100 gram) collected on filters, such a chemical treatment can easily lead to significant contamination levels. Radio-analytical techniques and, in particular, activation analysis methods offer a far cleaner alternative. Activation methods require minimal sample preparation and provide sufficient sensitivity for detecting the vast majority of the elements throughout the periodic table. While NAA has historically been by far the more standard technique, we propose to employ the PAA technique of to activate dust particles with 30-40 MeV photons. This technique can also be applied for the characterization of large amounts of inhomogeneous material, for example biological material, soil samples and electronic waste [3, 4, 5]. However, facilities for generation of large volume bremsstrahlung fields must be available in these cases. This method can also be used during the non-destructive analytical study of bulky objects if sampling and other invasive operations are not allowed [6].

Table of different research areas using PAA.

River sediment research http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02518904?LI=true

Lanthanum research http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/096980439500196K

http://www.springerlink.com/index/Y771268781K46270.pdf

Recent PAA talk about iac work http://proceedings.aip.org/resource/2/apcpcs/1265/1/379_1?isAuthorized=no

c.) Description

\section{Description of Research Instrumentation and Needs (c)} (6 pages)

The proposed instrument will be composed of two major hardware acquisitions. The first component is a system to remotely transport samples into the radiation area and then return them to a shielded area after being activated by a high intensity photon beam. The irradiation cell, as well as the sample itself, has the potential to have a high level of activity that prevents local manual access. The remote transport system will be required to bring the sample out of the high radiation area and deposit the sample into a lead shield, if necessary. The proposed design has the additional benefit of eliminating the need to turn off the accelerator in order to access the area. In addition to reducing the sample retrieval time, this will enhance accelerator operational stability since the electron beam will remain on. Systematic effects related to the irradiation will be reduced with this increased operational stability.

The second component is a detector system with beam position feedback to measure the radiation field in the region of the sample and then monitor the photon flux during irradiation. A set of photon detectors (CVD diamond film based) will be purchased and mounted on a movable platform that will sweep the detectors through the brehmmstrahlung beam measuring its profile. A set of beam position monitors (BPMs) will be installed along with steering coils in order to steer the incident electron beam. The photon flux can then be maximized in the region of the sample in order to optimize the sample activity. After measuring the photon distribution, the detectors will be parked behind the sample in order to directly measure the photon flux during irradiation. A measurement of the flux during irradiation will document its stability and quanitfy the amount of incident radiation. An online data acquition systtem will provide a feedback system between the BPMs and the diamond photon flux deteectors. .

\subsection{CVD detectors}

The chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of polycrystalline diamond onto films has become an industry that currently provides "off-the-shelf" detectors among other applications.

GSI shows a signal output of about 2 ns when hit with a 200 MeV/u C-12 atom.

\subsection{Transport System}

\subsection{BPM monitors}

\subsection{permanent deflecting magnet}

d.) Impact

\section{Impact on Research and Training Infrastructure (d)} ( 2 pages)

The proposed instrument will be a facility for performing isotope production research and training accelerator physicists. The research on copper isotopes is well underway and quickly approaching a point where production for consumption is likely. The production of other isotopes for industry and research will also be under investigation using this device. The goal will be for the instrument to be self sustaining and a means of training students.

The instrument will be an opportunity to train students in the operation of an electron accelerator as well as the techniques for isotope production and PAA. Graduate students, once trained, would operate the accelerator as a means of supporting their studies at ISU.

e.) Management

\section{Management Plan (e)} ( 2 pages)

The Idaho Accelerator Center has an established record of managing a facility serving the needs of interdisciplinary researchers that use beams of electrons or photons in their research. This proposal requests the procurement of two main pieces of equipment that, when combined, serve as an inegrated instrument for the production of Isotopes and Photon Activation Analysis. The components used to develop this instrument may be considered ``off the shelf. The accelerator expertise of the IAC and the detector development expertise of the PI will be relied upon to construct a working instrument. The track records of both entities are quite sound for this project. The long term operations and maintenance plan will rely on the instruments ability to attract users. The growth of demand for medical isotopes and the continued warning of an isotop production crisis by the Department of Energy is a strong indication that the instrument will be in demand should its ability to produce isotopes become well established.

Months after award | Activity | Phase |

References

\begin{thebibliography}{99} %--- Tony's ---- \bibitem{Zhang04}X.~Zheng {\it et al.}, Phys.~Rev.~Lett.~92 (2004) 012004.

\bibitem{FY2013CongBudgetOff} FY2013 Cngressionl Budget (http://science.energy.gov/~/media/budget/pdf/sc-budget-request-to-congress/fy-2013/Cong_Budget_2013_IsoptopeProductionandDistributionProgramFunding.pdf)

\end{thebibliography}

Budget

\section{Budget}

\begin{table}[h] \begin{center} \begin{tabular}{ccc} \multicolumn{1}{c}{Cost} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Match} & \multicolumn{1}{c}{Description} \\ \hline\hline 50,000 & N & Conveyor system for isotope samples \\ 20,000 & N & 2 electron Beam Position Monitors, steering coils, and power supplies\\ 50,000 & N & CVD diamond detectors \\ 28,000 & N & Data Acquisition System \\ 22,000 & Y & end station \\ 50,000 & Y & Professional \& Technical Services \\ \hline \end{tabular} \caption{Budget: Total expenses = \$220,000, Available Match \$72,000 (33 \%)} \end{center} \label{table:Projects} \end{table}

Budget Justification.

OCS IntelliTrack, Inc has estimated that the transport system can be acquired for \$50,000. The system will be able to move up to a 100 lb mass from the user (low radiation) area to the end station (a high radiation area). A set of beam position monitors and associated readout electronics from Bergoz instrumentation can be purchased for 5,340 euros each. An amount of \$20,000 has been budgeted to include coil steerers, power supplies, and fluctuations of the US dollar with respect to the Euro. A quote from CIVIDEC instrumentation estimates the procurement cost of a single 3mm effective area CVD diamond detector at about 6,000 euros. I have budgeted \$50,000 for four of these CVD diamond detectors and the translation stages need to sweep them through the beam using a worm gear system that has analog position encoding. A modern VME based DAQ system with EPICs monitoring is estimated to cost \$28,000 and will include a 32 channel ADC ($6k), a readout controller($3k), a miniCrate($4k), a host server ($2k), a trigger supervisor ($3k) and a NIM Discriminator /Trigger/ECL output module ($10k).

The Idaho Accelerator Center will provide a shielded end station for the irradiation area at a cost of \$22,000 and the manpower to install the remote transport system from OCS IntelliTrack, Inc as well as the translation stages to position the CVD diamond detectors at an estimated cost of \$50,000. The original source of the funds is a grant from the state of Idaho that has already been awarded.