"I was honestly surprised when the beam actually came out,"says Hiroshi Tsutsui (Principal Engineer, Industrial Equipment Division), who was in charge of the basic design of t다낭 카지노C230, an AVF (Azimuthally Varying Field) cyclotron (particle accelerator) for proton beam therapy. Development up to beam extraction was perilous, something akin to a high-wire act.

Proton beam therapy offers various advantages, among them reduced damage to normal cells. Consequently, demand for it is growing as a patient-friendly cancer treatment. However, t다낭 카지노ystem's large size limits the number of hospitals that can accommodate it. Reducing t다낭 카지노ystem's size would allow it to be installed in small and medium-sized hospitals, which would help even more cancer patients. This aim led manufacturers to attempt to downsize t다낭 카지노ystem's cyclotron, which is t다낭 카지노ystem's key component.

One after another, smaller cyclotrons were arriving 다낭 카지노he scene. It was against this backdrop that Sumitomo Heavy Industries began exploring the feasibility of a next-generation cyclotron in around 2007 and moving to full-scale development in 2015. SHI was now in the chase.

SHI already had the groundwork in place. It had done business in accelerators for over 50 years. It also possessed superconductivity technology and technology for manufacturing Cryocoolers. It was from these starting points that SHI's engineers joined forces to create a groundbreaking accelerator. Yuta Ehara (Engineer, Technology Research Center), who was in charge of beam testing, recalls, "Each member pursued a different area of ​​expertise. These areas fit together and allowed us to achieve a challenging goal."

As a latecomer to the market, SHI aimed to exceed the performance of the cyclotrons already out there. The project's concept was "compact, energy-saving, and high-current."To achieve this, (1) the project team reduced the size of the cyclotron by using a superconducting magnet that generates a high magnetic field. It achieved this by applying a law of magnetic fields stating that the stronger the magnetic field, the smaller the orbital radius. (2) In additi다낭 카지노o using superconducting coils that consume less power, the team minimized the number of electrodes used to accelerate protons and reduced the voltage to save energy. (3) The team incorporated methods that included widening the turn separation when extracting the beam and achieving a high electric current with improved extraction efficiency.

The basic design was completed in 2013, and the design and fabrication of component parts began in 2015. The prototype was moved to the Saijo Plant in the Ehime Works (Ehime Prefecture) in 2020, where beam accelerati다낭 카지노ests began. The structure was tailored to limiting conditions never before encountered. The process truly was something of a "high-wire act."Tsutsui recalls, "Theoretically, everything looked sound. But would a beam actually be generated? That was something I was quite anxious about." Tsutsui has been with SHI for more than 30 years and has spent much of that time designing cyclotrons and other accelerators. With such a background, he says he even thought, "If it doesn't work out, I guess I'll quit the company."

Doubts were encountered at an international conference. Although fewer electrodes and lower voltages would reduce power consumption, the reduced energy gain meant that the number of turns that particles would need to rotate would more than double. Given the conventional practice of designing for fewer than 1,000 turns, some in attendance said, "Achieving that is out of the question" and "There's no way that can be done."

Nevertheless, SHI's team was successful. According to project leader Takuya Miyashita (Senior Engineer, Industrial Equipment Division), that was because "our design was solid." There were instances during beam accelerati다낭 카지노esting in which the beam was not easily extracted from the accelerator's ion source, but "this was not a catastrophic problem,"he said. The project confirmed beam extracti다낭 카지노o the outside of the cyclotron in July 2021. The accelerator then went 다낭 카지노o satisfy all requirements—including those pertaining to beam current stability and power consumption—in performance assessments.

T다낭 카지노C230 is the world's smallest AVF system using a magnetic field with a fluctuating circumferential direction (as of August 2024). It weighs 65 tons, three-tenths the weight of conventional models, and consumes 40% less power at just 200 kilowatts. Nevertheless, it produces a maximum beam current of 1,000 nanoamperes, more than three times higher than conventional models. This is the largest output among all accelerators for proton beam therapy devices (as of August 2024). In addition, instead of using liquid helium to cool its superconducting coils, t다낭 카지노C230 uses a Cryocooler made with SHI technology. This feature enhances safety and serviceability.

SHI received its first order for this Prot다낭 카지노herapy System incorporating SHI's groundbreaking cyclotron in November 2022. The Taichung Veterans General Hospital in Taiwan, which placed the order, plans to begin proton beam therapy using the system in 2027. Miyashita speaks about the project with great enthusiasm. "We're talking about the world's highest output. Higher beam currents shorten treatment time and reduce burden 다낭 카지노he patient,"he says. "And I hope this technology will help save even more cancer patients."SHI uses unorthodox designs to press forward into new industries.

*All contents are as of the time of the interview.