1. Radiopharmaceutical Production
Cyclotron Operations
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2. Cyclotron Operations
The cyclotron is typically the core of the radiopharmaceutical production facility. If the cyclotron is not functioning, all other operations stop.
Although the cyclotron was invented more than 70 years ago, the basic components are the same now as they were then.
The technology has improved to the point where these are very reliable machines and can be run with a basic understanding of the underlying principles
Contents
History of the Cyclotron
Basic Operation of the Cyclotron
Commercial Cyclotrons
►See a video by IBA about the cyclotron
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3. Cyclotron History
The cyclotron was developed in the 1930’s in Berkeley, California by E.O. Lawerence. His idea was to use a magnetic field to constrain a charged particle to a circular path and use the same acceleration voltage over and over again to add more energy.
The number of cyclotrons in the world is growing at a very rapid pace. In 2000 there were about 350 world-wide and in 2008, it was estimated that the number had grown to nearly The expansion of clinical PET using FDG played and important role in that growth.
If you wish to learn more about the history, here is a presentation on the history of the cyclotron.
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Cyclotron History

4. Cyclotron Operations
The cyclotron creates an ion in the center and then uses a radio-frequency electric field to accelerate the particle. Once the particle has gained enough energy, it can be extracted from the accelerating field and directed towards a target material in order to carry out a nuclear reaction. There are several advantages of cyclotrons over other types of accelerators. These are:
Cyclotrons have a single electrical driver, which saves both money and power, since more expense may be allocated to increasing efficiency.
Cyclotrons produce a continuous stream of particles at the target, so the average power is relatively high.
The compactness of the device reduces other costs, such as its foundations, radiation shielding, and the enclosing building
A slightly more detailed description of Cyclotron operations is available here.
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Cyclotron Basics

5. Commercial Cyclotron
Modern cyclotrons come in many sizes and energy ranges and are commercially available from several manufacturers. They range from rather small cyclotrons designed specifically to produce fluorine-18 to large cyclotrons capable of producing a wide range of radionuclides. A list of some of the more common commercially produced cyclotrons is available here.
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Cyclotron Comparison

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