The magnetic conductor developed by Rosatom for Russia's first superconducting proton therapy cyclotron MSC-230 has successfully passed factory tests
The electromagnet with the diameter of 3.86 meters (pole diameter - 2.4 meters), height of 1.9 meters, excluding supports, and weight of 127 tons is one of the key units of the MSC-230 cyclotron. During its design and fabrication, it was necessary to ensure the clearance accuracy at the level of 0.05 mm and parallelism at the level of 0.02 mm.
Tests on geometric accuracy and operation of the upper yoke lifting system confirmed the most important parameters of the magnetic conductor - obtaining the required gap between the magnetic conductor sectors and their parallelism with the necessary tolerances," said Kirill Smirnov, Deputy Director General for Accelerator Technologies - Director of the Scientific and Technical Center "Linear Accelerators and Cyclotrons" of NIIEFA JSC.
The project to build the first Russian cyclotron complex based on a superconducting isochronous proton cyclotron at 230 MeV for radiation therapy and biomedical research has been implemented jointly by JINR and JSC NIIEFA since 2022. In addition to traditional methods of irradiation, the MSC-230 cyclotron provides beam modes for proton flash therapy (a method of radiation therapy, the peculiarity of which is fast and accurate delivery of ultra-high dose of radiation directly to the tumor). The customer and ideologist of the project is JINR, the institute's area of responsibility includes a unique superconducting winding with a cryostat based on the technology applied at the NICA complex. NIIEFA JSC is responsible for the development and fabrication of the magnetic core, accelerating system, ion source locking and alignment system, attachments and a number of supporting systems. The equipment is being manufactured at the site of NPO GKMP LLC (Bryansk); in summer 2026, the magnetic conductor is planned to be delivered to JINR for installation, assembly with the cryostat, and further testing.
Joint Stock Company D.V. Efremov NIIEFA (NIIEFA JSC) is an enterprise of Rosatom State Corporation, a leading scientific, design, engineering and production and bench center of the Russian Federation. Efremov NIIEFA JSC (NIIEFA JSC) is an enterprise of Rosatom State Corporation, a leading scientific, design and production and bench center of the Russian Federation for the development of electrophysical installations and complexes to solve scientific and applied problems in the field of plasma physics, atomic and nuclear physics, elementary particle physics, health care, radiation and energy technologies, introscopy. The facilities created at the institute are successfully operated in many organizations and enterprises in Russia, the CIS countries, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Egypt, India and other countries.
The government and specialized agencies are working on the planned upgrade of domestic healthcare capacities, ensuring full sovereignty of our country in this field. As a partner of the state in increasing the life expectancy and improving the quality of life of the country's population, Rosatom is increasing the production of a wide range of medical equipment and radiopharmaceuticals, creating a fully import-independent system of medical assistance to Russian citizens in the diagnosis and treatment of socially significant diseases.
Source: Atom Media
