Optimization of commercial scale photonuclear production of radioisotopes

Photonuclear production of radioisotopes driven by bremsstrahlung photons using a linear electron accelerator in the suitable energy range is a promising method for producing radioisotopes. The photonuclear production method is capable of making radioisotopes more conveniently, cheaply and with much less radioactive waste compared to existing methods. Historically, photo-nuclear reactions have not been exploited for isotope production because of the low specific activity that is generally associated with this production process, although the technique is well-known to be capable of producing large quantities of certain radioisotopes. We describe an optimization technique for a set of parameters to maximize specific activity of the final product. This set includes the electron beam energy and current, the end station design (an integrated converter and target as well as cooling system), the purity of materials used, and the activation time. These parameters are mutually dependent and thus their optimization is not trivial. $67Cu$ photonuclear production via $68Zn(γp)67Cu$ reaction was used as an example of such an optimization process.