Facility Description

Appendix I shows the overall floor plan and basic locations within the LLUMC Proton Treatment Facility. The following are brief descriptions of each area:

Accelerator - The Proton Treatment Facility utilizes a proton synchrotron which operates at variable energies from 100 to 250 MeV. Pulses of protons are produced every 2.2 seconds. When the protons have been accelerated in the ring to the desired energy, they are extracted and sent into a beam dump.

Beam Dump - The beam dump is located at the end of a beam pipe which is directed 20° down from horizontal into the concrete floor. During the majority of operating time, beam is delivered to the dump.

Switchyard - To deliver the beam to any of the nozzles, a magnet must be activated to steer the beam into the transport line, located in the switchyard. The accelerator and all beamlines are kept under constant vacuum. Dipole bending magnets are used to steer the beam around corners and into each room. The proton beam can only be delivered to one room at a time. A part of the safety system verifies that all other beamlines are turned off and beam stops are in place when not in use.

Fixed Beam Room (FBR) - This patient treatment room has a Y-magnet which can direct the beam into the Eye Beamline (EBL) nozzle or the Horizontal Beamline (HBL) nozzle.

Gantry Treatment Rooms - Three patient treatment rooms feature movable gantries, which allow the patient to lie in one position on a treatment couch while the nozzle rotates 360° for the desired treatment angle. The entire beam transport system rotates, with all associated control cables winding and unwinding on a spool.

Research/Calibration Room - A fifth room is available for experimentation and beam calibration. A triple Y-magnet allows for three fixed beam orientations.

Control Rooms - Each of the treatment rooms and the calibration beamline has an individual control room. The setup and safety systems are checked here before beam operation. The synchrotron has a main accelerator control room, where operators run the accelerator and switchyard.

Equipment Rooms - Power supplies and other equipment essential to accelerator operation is located on both A and B levels. Access is controlled in both areas.

Access Galleries - The A-level access gallery is used for storage of spare parts and decaying apertures. The B-level access gallery is available for storage, but is part of the interlocked switchyard.

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