NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTATION FOR A MEDICAL CYCLOTRON FACILITY

NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTATION FOR A MEDICAL CYCLOTRON FACILITY

Typical layout map of a Medical Cyclotron Facility, where at Nuclear Instrumentation requirements have been mapped.


Above plan indicates – Cyclotron room, Hot lab, QC lab, control panel area, service area, change room, packing & dispatch area etc.

Medical-Cyclotron-Hot-Cells

Medical-Cyclotron

Area-Stack-Monitor-display-units

The following Nuclear Instruments and Systems are typically required to be installed in a Medical Cyclotron Facility. Details of the monitors / instruments to be installed in a location / Lab are given below : Nucleonix Systems can offer this total package on turn key basis to include installation, training, commissioning & maintenance. All these products are designed, manufactured & supplied by Nucleonix systems. Typical layout map of the a Medical Cyclotron Facility is shown in the previous page.

Area Gamma Monitors in installed condition
Beta-Gamma Hand, Foot & Clothing Monitor in installed condition PD714/716
Radiation doserate measurment with radiation survey meter (rm703) using external telepole detector arrangement
Gamma ray spectroscopy system with 8K mca, installed in QC lab of a medical cyclotron facility, used to test isotope purity & energy of medical isotopes produced.
All the above Picutures are equipments / instruments supplied by Nucleonix Systems in use at a medical cyclotron facility
I. INSIDE CYCLOTRON VAULT
1. Area Gamma Monitor (NXG_AGM) :

Area Gamma Monitor Type NXG_AGM, manufactured & supplied by Nucleonix Systems is primarily designed to indicate dose rate in the measuring unit selected and produce audio / visual alarms, if the dose rate exceeds preset value. By default, the unit is set to be in mR/hr & the range is (0.01 – 100mR/hr). It uses latest state-of-art electronic devices including SoC based on ARM cortex A5 400MHz CPU with associated peripheral devices and other discrete ICs & components. Use of these devices makes it compact & highly reliable. Powerful embedded code adds-up and enhances its performance and gives extra advantage from the angle of fault diagnostics, programmable features, measurement of dose rate & data communication under networked environment. NXG_AGM3 is recommended with a range of (0.01 – 1R/hr) or (0.01 – 10R/hr), for monitoring dose rates inside Cyclotron vault.

Area-Gamma-Monitor
2. Neutron Area Monitor (NXG_NAM) :

This is required to monitor the Neutron flux / dose rate at just inside wall of the Cyclotron Vault. For this,we recommend Neutron Area Monitor with an external detector probe (Neutron). This detector probe will have 5/10 meter long cable between the moderated Neutron detector and the Electronic measuring unit. One can preset alarm levels in dose rate / cps / cpm modes. This unit measures Neutron dose rate in mSv/hr or Flux in CPS/CPM. Dose-rate covered is (0.01 – 10mSv/hr).

Neutron-Area-Monitor
II. STACK ACTIVITY MONITORING SYSTEM
3. Cyclotron Stack Activity Monitoring System :

This system designed and offered by ‘Nucleonix Systems’ is primarily meant to measure the radioactivity release levels from the stack into the atmosphere. Cyclotrons are commonly used for production of radioactive isotopes, utilized for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging and other purposes. During the isotopes production process, there are routine releases of nonhazardous amounts of radioactive isotopes into atmosphere. The activity concentration of radioactive effluents, released into the atmosphere is subjected to restrictions by national regulators based on international recommendations. Uncontrolled isotope emission through the ventilation system would increase the radiation hazard potential to nearby population. In order to control and prevent such emissions, monitoring and assessment of the released activity concentration is required.

Stack activity monitoring system offered, consists of the following sub-systems namely –

i) Air flow meter.

ii) Smart G.M. Probe based Stack Monitor.

iii) Smart Gamma Scintillation Probe based Stack Monitor.

i) Air Velocity Transducer (NXG_FLW):

Air Velocity Transducer used is a standard product which measures airflow in metres / sec. Anemometers have been traditionally employed for air flow measuring in industrial ducts. This cumbersome task requires performing a traverse of the opening, measuring and manually recording the velocity at numerous points, calculating the mean velocity, and then multiplying the mean velocity by the cross sectional area of the duct or opening to obtain the total volumetric flowrate measurement in cubic metre per minute.

With the newest microprocessor – based anemometers, up to a thousand data points can be stored in the memory for mean velocity calculation. Some units can even multiply the mean velocity by cross-sectional area to give the readout in CFM. These capabilities provide tremendous new convenience for the HVAC professional. It measures flow rate in meters / sec.

Air-Flow-Meter

ii) Smart G.M. Probe based Stack monitor with TFT display (optional) (NXG_STK_GM):

This unit is primarily designed to indicate ‘dose rates’ in the measuring unit selected and produces audio / visual alarms, if the dose rate exceeds preset value. Stack activity monitor’s measuring unit uses state-of-art electronic devices including SBC running on WINCE6 with associated peripheral devices and other discrete ICs & components. Use of these devices makes it compact & highly reliable. Powerful embedded code adds-up and enhances its performance and gives extra advantage from the angle of fault diagnostics, programmable features, dose rate & measurement of data communication under networked environment.

GM-Detector-Scintillation-Monitor

This measuring electronics unit facilitates connection to a smart detector probe. It is also possible to have the detector probe unit kept farther away up to a maximum of 100 meters. In case of stack activity monitor these probes will be installed in the stack exhaust area.

The user interface is through touch screen display, for display of dose rate, selection of reset mode (auto or manual) and other system settings. Fault diagnostic info is shown directly on touch screen

By default the unit is set to be in μSv/h & the range is 100 mSv/h. Measures stack duct activity using GM Probe.

GM Probe measures Dose rate in (0.1μSv/h – 10.00 mSv/h), or (0.01 mR/h – 10.0 R/h). with auto ranging & auto TC selection, in the range of 30 sec to 0.5 sec depending upon detector count rate.5” TFT display indication for dose rate & configuration is provided. Large size WINDOW indication on TFT display for NORMAL & ACTIVE alarm conditions.

iii) Smart Gamma Scintillation Probe based Stack Monitor (NXG_STK_SD):

This measuring unit electronics, facilitates connection to a smart detector probe. It is also possible to have the detector probe unit kept farther away up to a maximum of 100 meters. In case of stack activity monitor this probe will be installed in the stack exhaust area.

The user interface of the Electronic unit is through touch screen display, for visual readout of stack activity, reset mode (auto or manual) selection and other system settings. Fault diagnostic info is also shown directly on touch screen. 5” TFT display indication for dose rate & configuration is provided. Large size WINDOW indication on TFT display for NORMAL & ACTIVE alarm condition.

Measures stack duct activity, using Gamma Scintillation Probe. This unit uses a 2”X2” NaI scintillation detector integral assembly to measure the stack activity in cps. Unit is provided with auto ranging & auto TC selection in the range of 30 sec to 0.5 sec depending upon detector count rate. It measure Stack activity in CPS/CPM.

Scintillator-Detector-Based-Stack-Activity-Monitor

III.HOT LAB NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTATION
4. Digital Radiation Survey Meter with 1.0 meter telepole
(RM 703E) :

This digital Radiation Survey meter has a detector fixed at the end of 1.0 meter tele- pole and measuring instrument is close to the user, which enables the user to view the digital display to see the dose rates away from 1.2 meter distance. This survey meter is specially designed with this 1.0 meter pole attachment to check for the dose rates in the Hot Cells, delivery lines, on the surface of the vials and other inaccessible areas in the cyclotron facility, packed cartoons / boxes / containers loaded with radioactive isotopes (such as F-18 etc). It measures dose rate in (0 – 10 R/hr) or (0 –100 mSv/hr).





IV. ENTRY TO HOT LAB
5. Beta Gamma Hand,Foot and Clothing Monitor : (NXG_HFC1_BG)

Beta Gamma Hand, Foot and Clothing Monitor : (NXG_HFC1_BG) – is installed at the entrance / exit door of the Hot Lab. This is basically used for checking of the Contamination of Hand, Foot and Clothing of the Personnel working in the Hot Lab to ensure that they are not contaminated and are clean at the end of the shift, before they leave the Medical Cyclotron Facility.



V.QUALITY CONTROL (QC) LAB

6. This will have an important equipment / tool namely Gamma Ray Spectrometer, with Well Type Scintillation Detector, with 8K Multi Channel Analyzer (USB) System with Software. This equipment is basically used for Isotope identification test and Radionuclide Purity Test for the Radio-nuclides such as FDG / F-18 or Tc-99, I- 131 etc., produced in the Medical Cyclotron Facility. This becomes an essential tool in the QC Lab. This system will have the following constituent units.

i. MINIM based Gamma Ray Spectrometer.
ii. 2” x 2” NaI Well Type Scintillation detector.
iii. Gamma Reference Source Set
iv. Lead Castle for Scintillation Detector
v. 8k MCA (USB) with Personal Computer System & Data processing Software



7.Digital Contamination Monitor : (CM 710N)

This is essentially a Pancake based Digital Contamination Monitor which can be used for measuring both Beta Contamination in CPS / CPM mode and to measure low gamma dose rates up to 200 mR/hr. This is used essentially to check the Contamination in QC Lab, work areas, floor space, work table, walls etc. in the QC Lab.



VI. PACKING SECTION
8. Digital Radiation Survey meter (RM 701N)

This unit has (0 – 10) R/hr dose rate range and is used to inspect finally packed FDG and other isotopes produced in packed condition kept ready for dispatch, primarily to check for any leakage radiation.



VII. AT ENTRANCE DOOR OF CYCLOTRON ROOM
9. Area Gamma Monitor (NXG_AGM) :

NXG_AGM (0.1 to 100 mR/hr) is required to be installed at the entrance door of the Cyclotron Room or it can be near control panel room area. This unit, of course can be with external detector arrangement.



VIII. CONTROL ROOM INSTRUMENTATION

10. All the following Area Monitors measuring and alarm units are mounted in the Control Room for centralized monitoring. These include –
i. Neutron Area Monitor
ii. Area Gamma Monitor(s)
iii. Stack Monitors (GM/Scintilation) and,
iv. Air Flow meter display unit

11. Personal Computer with Networking Software RadGrid is a comprehensive and user friendly software that will configure, communicate and continuously monitor various Radiation Monitoring instruments manufactured by Nucleonix using MODBUS RTU protocols. It will optionally update instrument Alarm condition and status in Remote database and Nucleonix Instrument Grid database (Optional).The software runs on Windows 7 Operating system. Parameters that are read from the instruments include Measured value, Preset value, Hardware status like LV supply, EHT status, Counts, Alarm status and other fault diagnostic information. Up to 255 MODBUS RTU instruments (max) can be connected to RadGrid.



12. Pocket Dosimeters & Dose Records Data Management Software

The following two types of Digital Dosimeters (Pocket / waist belt worn type) are recommended for the medical cyclotron facility with/without dose records data management software. Digital dosimeters are essential for recording the dose taken by the personnel working in the cyclotron facility in different labs. They can check for the cumulative dose recieved at the end of the shift/day. Quantities can be decided based on the centres rquirement.

1. Digital Pocket Dosimeter (DIGIDOSE) – PD714
2. Digital Pocket Dosimeter – PD716
3. Docking Station(s) – DS715
4. Dose records data Management Software – DS717

Dose records data management software may be procured & used by the centre, to maintain individual dose records data of the staff at the centre, who are enrolled for personel monitoring using these Digital Pocket Dosimeters.

Note : For details specifications refer to the technical datasheets of respective products by clicking on the products title, in the main menu.