• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
• /
• v.12 no.5
• /
• pp.565-573
• /
• 2018

Cyclotron for medical purposes generates nuclear reaction by accelerating protons in high speed, in order to produce radiopharmaceuticals, and unnecessary neutrons are generated through such nuclear reaction. Neutrons cause activation in the parts of cyclotron which then cause exposure to radiation for people working in the field. This study, in that regard, aims to analyze exposure level by finding out the degree of activation of aluminum body, silver body, and havar foil which are the parts of Targetry where the nuclear reaction takes place. The results of the experiment showed that aluminum body and silver body had no problems re-using them as the energy and half-life of activated nuclides were small and short, making the affect on the people working in the field extremely low. However for havar foil, its activated nuclides had a high level of energy which resulted in high level of affect to the people working in the field. The activation factors of the cyclotron were analyzed, and the results showed that the Havar foil was activated the most among the targetry parts, and greatly exposed workers due to regular replacement, and needed special management as radioactive waste.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.643-649
• /
• 2016

When a cyclotron produces $^{18}F^-$, accelerated protons interact with metal parts of the cyclotron machine and induces radioactivity. Especially, the target window and chamber of the target assembly are the main parts where long-lived radionuclides are generated as they are incident by direct beams. It is of great importance to identify radionuclides induced in the target assembly for the safe operation and maintenance of a cyclotron facility. In this study, we analyzed major radionuclides generated in the target assembly by an operation of the Cyclotron 18/9 machine and measured dose rates after the operation to establish the radiation safety guideline for operators and maintenance personnel of the machine. Gamma spectroscopy with HPGe was performed on samples from the target chamber and Havar foil target window to identify the radionuclides generated during the operation for production of $^{18}F^-$- isotope and their specific activity. Also, the dose rates from the target were measured as a function of time after an operation. These data will help improve radiological safety of operating the cyclotron facilities.

• Proceedings of the KIPE Conference
• /
• 2001.10a
• /
• pp.93-97
• /
• 2001

A new compact, low-energy electron beam irradiator has been developed. The core-loss of silicon steels can be reduced by magnetic-domain refinement method. The irradiator was developed for the application of core-loss reduction using the method. The beam energy of the irradiator can be varied from 35 to 80 keV and the maximum current is 3mA. The irradiation area is designed to be $30\times30mm2$ now and will be upgraded to $30\times150mm2$ using a scanning magnet and scanning cone. The electron beam generated from 3 mm diameter LaB6 is extracted to the air for the irradiation of the silicon steels in the air. A special irradiation port was developed for this low-energy irradiator. A havar foil with $4.08{\mu}m$ thickness were used for the window and a cold air-cooling system keeps the foil structure by removing heat at the window. The irradiator system and its operation characteristics will be discussed.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
• /
• v.16 no.2
• /
• pp.106-109
• /
• 2012

Purpose : The KOTRON-13 cyclotron was developed and installed in regional cyclotron centers to produce short-lifetime medical radioisotopes. However, this cyclotron has limited capacity to produce $^{11}C$ so far. In present study, we developed an effective $^{11}C$ target system combining with fluorine-18 target and applied to the production of various $^{11}C$ radiopharmaceuticals. Materials and Methods : To develop the optimal $^{11}C$ target system and effective its cooling system, we designed the $^{11}C$ target system by Stopping and Range of Ions in Matter (SRIM) simulation program and considered the cavity pressure during irradiation at target grid. In this investigation, we modified target materials, cavity shapes and the position of cooling system in $^{11}C$ target and then evaluated $[^{11}C]CO_2$ production at different beam currents, thickness of the target foil, oxygen content of nitrogen gas and target gas loading pressure. Also, we evaluate the production of several $^{11}C$ radiopharmaceuticals such as [$^{11}C$]PIB, [$^{11}C$]DASB, and [$^{11}C$]Clozapine. Results : $[^{11}C]CO_2$ was produced about 74 GBq for 30min irradiation at 60 ${\mu}A$ of beam current as following conditions: thickness of the target foil: 19 nm HAVAR, oxygen content of nitrogen: under 50 ppb, target gas loading pressure: 24 bar. Additionally, the cooling system was stable to produce $[^{11}C]CO_2$ at high beam current. The radiochemical yields of [$^{11}C$]PIB, [$^{11}C$]DASB, and [$^{11}C$]Clozapine showed about 26-38% with over 127 GBq/umol of specific activity. Conclusion : The carbon-11 target system in the KOTRON-13 cyclotron was successfully developed and showed stable production of $[^{11}C]CO_2$. These results showed that our $^{11}C$ target system will be compatible with other commercial system for the routine $^{11}C$ radiopharmaceuticals production in the KOTRON-13 cyclotron.