MONONA, WI – August 12, 2014 - SHINE Medical Technologies and Phoenix Nuclear Labs (PNL) announced today that they successfully operated their second-generation neutron driver prototype for 24 consecutive hours with 99% uptime. Completion of this milestone is an important demonstration of the reliability and robustness of the PNL neutron driver, which is a key enabling technology for SHINE’s isotope production facility.
“I’m very excited PNL has demonstrated the reliability of their accelerator technology. Their team continues their strong track record of achievement, having reached this important milestone sooner than expected,” said Greg Piefer, CEO of SHINE Medical. “This specific accomplishment proves something we have been confident in all along—that the accelerator technology can work reliably at the power levels needed by our plant for extended periods of time. We look forward to continued collaboration with PNL as we complete the transition of the accelerator system from demonstration to production.”
SHINE is working to become the leading US supplier of molybdenum-99, a radioactive isotope that enables more than 80,000 medical imaging procedures every day to diagnose heart disease and cancer. At the core of the SHINE process for producing moly-99 is a particle accelerator-based, high-yield neutron driver manufactured by PNL. The SHINE facility, scheduled to begin commercial production of moly-99 in 2017 in Janesville, WI, will operate up to eight PNL drivers simultaneously to supply more than half of total US moly-99 demand.
“PNL is thrilled to have the opportunity to support SHINE’s mission to produce the life-saving medical isotopes needed by so many Americans every day. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship and providing SHINE with a great product,” said Ross Radel, President of PNL. “The credit for this success really goes to our dedicated engineering team. They have been working around the clock to complete this demonstration, and we could not be happier with the performance of our technology.”
High reliability and uptime for the PNL neutron driver is important to SHINE Medical’s goal to provide a reliable, domestic supply of moly-99 to the US. Demonstrating long-term operation of the PNL neutron driver with very high uptime provides important validation of SHINE’s moly-99 production process. The successful test of the PNL driver was completed on July 31 and August 1 in Monona, WI. Testing of the second-generation neutron driver prototype will continue over the next several months.
Based in Janesville, Wisconsin, SHINE deploys its safe, cost-effective and environmentally friendly fusion technology in a stepwise approach. Its systems are used to inspect industrial components in aerospace, defense, energy and other sectors. SHINE’s proprietary medical isotope production processes create non-carrier-added lutetium-177 and are expected to create molybdenum-99. In the future, SHINE plans to scale its fusion technology to help solve one of energy’s toughest hurdles by recycling nuclear waste. Through a purpose-driven and phased approach, SHINE aims to generate fusion power to deliver clean, abundant energy that could transform life on Earth. Want to learn more about SHINE? Follow us on social media @shinefusion and sign up for our email newsletter to follow us on our journey!
Media Contact: info@shinefusion.com
Founded in 2005 in Middleton, WI, Phoenix Nuclear Labs has developed a proprietary, particle accelerator-driven, nuclear fusion technology that has applications ranging from medicine to national defense. The company is focused on commercializing its core neutron generator technology for near term applications including neutron radiography imaging for the nondestructive evaluation and quality control of military and aerospace components, medical isotope production, and the detection of explosive devices. For more information, visit: www.phoenixneutronimaging.com
