Indian scientists set to break West's nuclear tech monopoly

adihere

Hindustan Times
In a major leap for India's nuclear research, scientists in Kolkata have reached the advanced stage of constructing a superconducting cyclotron that could break the monopoly of the West in the field.

To be operational in two years, this powerful cyclotron being developed at the Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC) here, namely K500, would be the seventh of its kind in the world. There are three such cyclotrons in the US, one in Canada, one in Italy and one in the Netherlands.

"K500 would be indigenous and three times more powerful than the existing cyclotron here operational since 1980. It will be used by our scientists for carrying out highly advanced research experiments in nuclear science," the centre's director Bikash Sinha said

"The majority of components were fabricated in the country and some of them, including the superconducting coil, at the VECC itself."
"The construction implies an important technological fallout in the field of cryogenics and superconducting magnets.

"It has applications in the areas of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for medical diagnostics, energy storage devices, rapid transport utilising magnet levitation," Sinha said.

"The international nuclear physics community has also shown a keen interest in using this facility for collaborative research. We want to make it internationally available and it is our fond desire that scientists from abroad outsource from us," he informed.

During construction, the superconducting magnet, the largest in the country, was energised to produce a very high magnetic field of 48 kilogauss. The energising coils, through which several hundred amperes of current flows, remains at minus 269 degrees centigrade with the help of about 300 litres of liquid helium in a special vessel called cryostat. The performance was highly satisfactory.

"Everything went off very smoothly. The coil was perfectly immersed and nothing happened," said Sinha.


What is K-500

K-500 is a superconducting cyclotron is being constructed at VECC Kolkata.

This will be constructed in two years

It would be the seventh of its kind in the world. US has three, one each in Canada, Italy and Netherlands

This will be helpful in highly advanced research experiments in nuke science

It has an important technological fallout in the field of cryogenics and superconducting magnets


K-500 is indigenous and three times more powerful than the existing cyclotron operational since 1980

__________________
http://nomad-i.blogspot.com