Status and performance of MGC-20 cyclotron vacuum system

A variable energy compact cyclotron has been installed at the Nuclear Research Centre NRC, Atomic Energy Authority AEA, Egypt. It is equipped to accelerate protons, deuterons, α-particles and 3He. The vacuum system has to provide high vacuum within the 10−6 mbar range in order to accelerate particles and to have stable beam. The total vacuum volume includes the acceleration chamber and the ion beam transport line is ≈3 m3. The pump-down time of the system to the steady high vacuum is measured. Results on the performance of the forevacuum and the high-vacuum pumps will be presented. The characteristics of the vacuum system components are evaluated.