Development of [NH3] Ammonia target for Cyclone-30 at KFSH&RC

Introduction Nitrogen [13N] NH3 is a liquid radioisotope, produced by medical cyclotrons for nuclear medicine application and widely applied for evaluation of myocardial perfusion in clinical assessments [1,2]. Owing to its short half-life (10 minutes), the unloading procedure of the radio-active solution of [13N]NH3 from the target is crucial in saving the activity produced for patient. Therefore, an efficient technique in un-loading the radioactive solution from the target body was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics. The new design of the target with improved unloading technique resulted in 30% increase of the available 13N activity. In our experiments, 13N was produced by the 16O(p,α)13N reaction. The energy of proton beam was 16.5 MeV. Material and Methods A 2D model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate the inner geometry of [13N] Ammonia target. In the 2D model, water and aluminum were used as materials for the inner body and outer boundary (walls), respectively. The physical equations used to solve the problem of allocating proper place for the loading/unloading opening is turbulent, k-ε Module being extracted from fluid flow module. FIGURE 1 shows the result of simulating water flow on the target water channels. The entrance of the pushing solution (for unloading) was designed to create a turbulent flow inside the target body and, hence, to collect most of the activity inside the target. FIGURE 2 shows the setup for 13N production. A peristaltic pump is used to push the solution after irradiation to the hotcell at 6 ml/min flowrate. The distance from the target to the hotcell is approximately 30 meters. Results and Conclusion FIGURE 3 presents activity produced in milicurie (mCi) for several patient runs. The activity obtained in some experiments reached up to 330 mCi when we irradiated the target with 25 μA for 15 min. This was satisfactory for delivery to the patient at the nuclear medicine department. Moreover, purity of [13N] purity was above 95 % what meets the standard regulation for administration to a patient

A COMPARATIVE STUDY BETWEEN SIMULATED AND MEASURED BEAM'S QUALITY OF 30 MeV CYCLOTRON AT KFSHRC

Abstract At King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC), the C-30 Cyclotron (manufactured by IBA) is used to produce radioisotopes for medical purposes. Working with very expensive machine dedicated for patients needs full attention and understanding of how beam can be controlled safely inside beam transport system. Moreover, knowledge of influence of magnetic lenses on charged particles is desired. Therefore, using off-line source such as PC-based beam simulator allows an operator to immediately see the effect of various magnetic lenses attached to the beam line. Initially, the magnetic field of quadruples and steering magnet was recorded using Hall probe Teslameter. The magnetic field values then uploaded into the Beam simulator in which beam quality was recorded and analysed

STATUS REPORT OF THE CYCLOTRONS C-30, CS-30 AND RDS-111 AT KFSHRC, SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract Experience gained since the commissioning of the IBA C-30 Cyclotron at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre (KFSHRC) in 2010, has shown this facility to be viable entity. In addition to the C-30 Cyclotron, the facility includes two other Cyclotrons, namely: the RDS-111 and the CS-30 Cyclotrons. The latter has dual responsibilities; while it is kept as a backup for the other Cyclotrons for radioisotopes production, it's also used for proton therapy researches and Bragg Peak measurements at that particular energy. Facility operating history, usage and radiopharmaceuticals productions are described

Development of [NH3] Ammonia target for Cyclone-30 at KFSH&RC

Introduction Nitrogen [13N] NH3 is a liquid radioisotope, produced by medical cyclotrons for nuclear medicine application and widely applied for evaluation of myocardial perfusion in clinical assessments [1,2]. Owing to its short half-life (10 minutes), the unloading procedure of the radio-active solution of [13N]NH3 from the target is crucial in saving the activity produced for patient. Therefore, an efficient technique in un-loading the radioactive solution from the target body was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics. The new design of the target with improved unloading technique resulted in 30% increase of the available 13N activity. In our experiments, 13N was produced by the 16O(p,α)13N reaction. The energy of proton beam was 16.5 MeV. Material and Methods A 2D model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate the inner geometry of [13N] Ammonia target. In the 2D model, water and aluminum were used as materials for the inner body and outer boundary (walls), respectively. The physical equations used to solve the problem of allocating proper place for the loading/unloading opening is turbulent, k-ε Module being extracted from fluid flow module. FIGURE 1 shows the result of simulating water flow on the target water channels. The entrance of the pushing solution (for unloading) was designed to create a turbulent flow inside the target body and, hence, to collect most of the activity inside the target. FIGURE 2 shows the setup for 13N production. A peristaltic pump is used to push the solution after irradiation to the hotcell at 6 ml/min flowrate. The distance from the target to the hotcell is approximately 30 meters. Results and Conclusion FIGURE 3 presents activity produced in milicurie (mCi) for several patient runs. The activity obtained in some experiments reached up to 330 mCi when we irradiated the target with 25 μA for 15 min. This was satisfactory for delivery to the patient at the nuclear medicine department. Moreover, purity of [13N] purity was above 95 % what meets the standard regulation for administration to a patient

Development of [NH3] Ammonia target for Cyclone-30 at KFSH&RC

Introduction Nitrogen [13N] NH3 is a liquid radioisotope, produced by medical cyclotrons for nuclear medicine application and widely applied for evaluation of myocardial perfusion in clinical assessments [1,2]. Owing to its short half-life (10 minutes), the unloading procedure of the radio-active solution of [13N]NH3 from the target is crucial in saving the activity produced for patient. Therefore, an efficient technique in un-loading the radioactive solution from the target body was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics. The new design of the target with improved unloading technique resulted in 30% increase of the available 13N activity. In our experiments, 13N was produced by the 16O(p,α)13N reaction. The energy of proton beam was 16.5 MeV. Material and Methods A 2D model was developed using COMSOL Multiphysics to simulate the inner geometry of [13N] Ammonia target. In the 2D model, water and aluminum were used as materials for the inner body and outer boundary (walls), respectively. The physical equations used to solve the problem of allocating proper place for the loading/unloading opening is turbulent, k-ε Module being extracted from fluid flow module. FIGURE 1 shows the result of simulating water flow on the target water channels. The entrance of the pushing solution (for unloading) was designed to create a turbulent flow inside the target body and, hence, to collect most of the activity inside the target. FIGURE 2 shows the setup for 13N production. A peristaltic pump is used to push the solution after irradiation to the hotcell at 6 ml/min flowrate. The distance from the target to the hotcell is approximately 30 meters. Results and Conclusion FIGURE 3 presents activity produced in milicurie (mCi) for several patient runs. The activity obtained in some experiments reached up to 330 mCi when we irradiated the target with 25 μA for 15 min. This was satisfactory for delivery to the patient at the nuclear medicine department. Moreover, purity of [13N] purity was above 95 % what meets the standard regulation for administration to a patient

Investigation of high altitude/tropospheric correction factors for electric aircraft applications

With rising fuel costs and CO2 emissions, the aviation industry is moving rapidly toward increased electrification of aircraft, and power demand for propulsion and safety critical systems necessitates a move to on-board distribution voltages in excess of 1 kV. The increased stress experienced by cable insulation, connectors and other equipment, combined with extreme and dynamic environmental conditions experienced in flight, presents a number of technical challenges. This research project proposes to quantify the effect of atmospheric conditions on partial discharge thresholds in uprated aircraft electrical systems, and to derive atmospheric correction factors appropriate to in-service operating conditions to assist the aircraft electrical design engineer in the insulation coordination of modern aviation systems. The development of a controlled atmospheric test facility for the precise replication of in-flight conditions is outlined, and an initial visual assessment of partial discharge activity in an ex-service wire harness at a range of pressures is presented. We also present plans for the ongoing development of the facility and test capabilities