Method and apparatus for production of radiometals and other radioisotopes using a particle accelerator

A method of producing radioisotopes by irradiating a target with a particle beam, the method comprising:

• (a) placing the target comprising a solid target material on or within a target structure, wherein the target is positioned in a beam path of the particle beam from a particle accelerator;
• (b) positioning a liquid reservoir adjacent to the target,
• (i) wherein the liquid reservoir is positioned behind the target in relation to the beam path,
• (ii) wherein the liquid reservoir contains a liquid,
• (iii) wherein the liquid contacts at least a portion of the solid target material, and
• (iv) wherein the liquid reservoir includes a vapor-capture enclosure;
• (c) irradiating the target material with the particle beam to produce the radioisotopes;
• (d) during the irradiating, removing heat from the target by evaporating at least a portion of the liquid to produce a vapor from heat generated in the liquid by the irradiating, capturing in the vapor-capture enclosure the vapor, cooling the captured vapor by an effective thermal amount to cause condensation of the captured vapor to produce a condensate, and returning the condensate to the liquid reservoir;
• (e) collecting the liquid from the liquid reservoir after the irradiating;
• (f) introducing a second liquid into the liquid reservoir;
• (g) isolating at least a portion of the radioisotopes from the irradiated target material in the second liquid;
• and
• (h) removing the at least a portion of the radioisotopes and the second liquid from the liquid reservoir.