Alternate Applications of Fusion - Production of Radioisotopes
Fusion Science and Technology / Volume 44 / Number 2 / September 2003 / Pages 559-563
Technical Paper / Fusion Energy - Nonelectric Applications / dx.doi.org/10.13182/FST03-A397
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A major effort to find near-term, non-electric applications of fusion energy has shown that the production of radioisotopes is attractive. The use of the D3He fusion reaction to produce Positron Emission Tomography (PET) isotopes is described. An Inertial Electrostatic Confinement (IEC) device is particularly well suited to produce low levels of high-energy (14.7 MeV) protons, which in turn, can produce short-lived PET isotopes. The IEC device at the University of Wisconsin has been modified to investigate the potential of this process to be commercially attractive.
