Syria
Cyclotron Facility
This page is part of the Facilities Collection.
In 1996, the AECS requested assistance from the IAEA in constructing a cyclotron facility for its Nuclear Medicine Centre in Damascus (the Dubaya Centre). 1 2 The IAEA approved the project and initiated construction in 1997. 3 Belgium’s Ion Beam Applications (IBA) provided the Cyclone 30 cyclotron (negative ion, variable energy) and installed the machine in 2001. 4 Syria completed the project in 2007. 5 The estimated total cost to build the facility, including construction and support services, was more than $10 million. 6
The cyclotron facility is used for the production of radioisotopes for medical applications, such as positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). 7 The facility also produces short-lived and very short-lived radiopharmaceuticals, which were previously unavailable domestically in Syria and had to be imported. 8 The cyclotron is not used for education and training in nuclear sciences, health physics, or for other purposes. 9
Of potential proliferation concern, particle accelerators of sufficient power are a viable route to acquiring fissile material. 10 Theoretically, Syria could use the facility to conduct research on uranium enrichment or reprocess plutonium. As R. Scott Kemp concludes, “many of the natural barriers to proliferation can be lifted by employing particle accelerators, even for the most primitive of proliferators.” 11 However, Syria’s cyclotron is currently involved in several IAEA technical cooperation projects, and there are no reports or indications of misuse. 12
Glossary
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
- IAEA: Founded in 1957 and based in Vienna, Austria, the IAEA is an autonomous international organization in the United Nations system. The Agency’s mandate is the promotion of peaceful uses of nuclear energy, technical assistance in this area, and verification that nuclear materials and technology stay in peaceful use. Article III of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) requires non-nuclear weapon states party to the NPT to accept safeguards administered by the IAEA. The IAEA consists of three principal organs: the General Conference (of member states); the Board of Governors; and the Secretariat. For additional information, see the IAEA.
- Radioisotope
- Radioisotope: An unstable isotope of an element that decays or disintegrates spontaneously, emitting energy (radiation). Approximately 5,000 natural and artificial radioisotopes have been identified. Some radioisotopes, such as Molybdenum-99, are used for medical applications, such as diagnostics. These isotopes are created by the irradiation of targets in research reactors.
- Reprocessing
- Reprocessing: The chemical treatment of spent nuclear fuel to separate the remaining usable plutonium and uranium for re-fabrication into fuel, or alternatively, to extract the plutonium for use in nuclear weapons.
Sources
- “Cyclone 30,” Ion Beam Applications, www.iba-cyclotron-solutions.com.
- Magnus Normark, Anders Lindblad, Anders Norqvist, Bjorn Sandstrom, and Louise Waldenstrom, “Syria and WMD: Incentives and Capabilities,” FOI Swedish Defence Research Agency, June 2004, p. 55, www2.foi.se.
- Wyn Q. Bowen, and Joanna Kidd, “The Nuclear Capabilities and Ambitions of Iran’s Neighbors,” Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran, eds. Henry Sokolski, and Patrick Clawson (Carlisle: The Strategic Studies Institute, 2005), p. 73.
- “Syrian Arab Republic,” Directory of Cyclotrons used for Radionuclide Production in Member States, p. 371, www-naweb.iaea.org; Nuclear Programmes in the Middle East: In the shadow of Iran, ed. Mark Fitzpatrick (London: The International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2008), p. 78.
- “SYR/4/007: Cyclotron Facility for Medical Radioisotopes,” IAEA-TC Project Datasheet, 1997, www-tc.iaea.org.
- Wyn Q. Bowen, and Joanna Kidd, “The Nuclear Capabilities and Ambitions of Iran’s Neighbors,” Getting Ready for a Nuclear-Ready Iran, eds. Henry Sokolski, and Patrick Clawson (Carlisle: The Strategic Studies Institute, 2005) p. 73, www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil; “Syrian Arab Republic,” Directory of Cyclotrons used for Radionuclide Production in Member States, p. 371, www-naweb.iaea.org.
- Magnus Normark, Anders Lindblad, Anders Norqvist, Bjorn Sandstrom, and Louise Waldenstrom “Syria and WMD: Incentives and Capabilities,” FOI Swedish Defence Research Agency, June 2004, p. 55, www2.foi.se, “Syrian Arab Republic,” Directory of Cyclotrons used for Radionuclide Production in Member States, p. 371, www-naweb.iaea.org.
- IAEA, “Syrian Arab Republic,” Directory of Cyclotrons used for Radionuclide Production in Member States, p. 371, www-naweb.iaea.org.
- IAEA, “Syrian Arab Republic,” Directory of Cyclotrons used for Radionuclide Production in Member States, p. 371, www-naweb.iaea.org.
- R. Scott Kemp, “Nuclear proliferation with particle accelerators,” Science and Global Security 13, 2005, p. 201.
- R. Scott Kemp, “Nuclear proliferation with particle accelerators,” Science and Global Security 13, 2005, p. 201.
- IAEA, “Country: Syrian Arab Republic,” IAEA-TC Projects by Country, www.iaea.org.