Device and method for producing medical isotopes

1. A hybrid reactor operable to produce a medical isotope, the reactor comprising:

an ion source operable to produce an ion beam from a gas;

a target chamber including a target that interacts with the ion beam to produce neutrons via a fusion reaction, wherein the target comprises deuterium, tritium, or helium, or a combination thereof; and

an annular activation cell positioned proximate the target chamber and including a parent material that interacts with the neutrons to produce the medical isotope via a fission reaction, wherein the parent material is in an aqueous solution, wherein the water of the aqueous solution acts as a moderator, and wherein the fission reaction is maintained at a subcritical level with neutron multiplication.

2. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , wherein RF resonance is used to produce the ion beam.

3. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , further comprising an accelerator positioned between the ion source and the target chamber and operable to accelerate the ions of the ion beam.

4. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , wherein the gas includes one of deuterium and tritium and the target includes the other of deuterium and tritium.

5. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , wherein the target chamber defines a long target path that is substantially linear.

6. The hybrid reactor of claim 5 , further comprising at least one magnet positioned to define a magnetic field that collimates the ion beam within at least a portion of the long target path.

7. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , wherein the target chamber defines a long target path that is substantially helical.

8. The hybrid reactor of claim 7 , further comprising at least one magnet positioned to define a magnetic field that directs the ion beam along the helical path.

9. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , wherein the ion source and the target chamber together at least partially define one of a plurality of fusion reactors.

10. The hybrid reactor of claim 9 , wherein the target chamber of each of the plurality of fusion reactors cooperate to substantially surround a cylindrical space.

11. The hybrid reactor of claim 10 , wherein the activation cell is substantially annular and is positioned within the cylindrical space.

12. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , further comprising a reflector positioned proximate the target chamber and selected to reflect neutrons toward the activation cell.

13. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , wherein the parent material comprises uranium enriched to 20% or less of 235 U and the medical isotope is 99 Mo.

14. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , further comprising an attenuator positioned proximate the activation cell and selected to maintain the fission reaction at a subcritical level.

15. The hybrid reactor of claim 12 , wherein the attenuator is positioned inside of the annular activation cell and the reflector substantially surrounds the plurality of target chambers.

16. A hybrid reactor operable to produce a medical isotope, the reactor comprising:

an ion source operable to produce an ion beam from a gas;

a target chamber including a target that interacts with the ion beam to produce neutrons via a fusion reaction, wherein the target comprises deuterium, tritium, or helium, or a combination thereof; and

an annular activation cell positioned proximate the target chamber and including an aqueous solution comprising a parent material that interacts with the neutrons to produce the medical isotope via a fission reaction, wherein the water of the aqueous solution acts as a moderator, and wherein the fission reaction is maintained at a subcritical level with neutron multiplication.

17. The hybrid reactor of claim 1 , further comprising an additional moderator substantially surrounding the activation cell.