High current radioisotope production with solid target system

Remotely manipulated solid target systems have been developed at TRIUMF for the production of ²⁰¹Tl, ⁶⁷Ga, ¹¹¹ In and ⁵⁷Co radioisotopes. An extension of these systems to accept a 400 μA 30 MeV proton beam has been designed. The design criteria included keeping the temperature of the water-cooled silver face of the target below 140° during irradiation. A combination of computer modeling and actual measurements employing thermocouples indicate the temperature to be significantly lower thereby permitting even higher beam currents. This paper will present these results and conclusions and also summarise the refinements and changes made to the hardware of the target stations and transfer system which feature high radiation hardness components to minimize maintenance and improve reliability