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jnpgroup consulting engineers services provided:

• Structural Design
• Civil Design
• Existing Building Investigation & Analysis 
• Piled Raft Foundations
• RC Concrete Vault Design
• Construction Method Statements

Cyclotron Vault

The project was a design and build contract for a new cyclotron vault and associated clean room within an existing working laboratory facility building at the grove centre for GE Healthcare. Scitech were the project managers and jnpgroup consulting engineers were appointed as structural consultants.

The cyclotron is used in the production of drugs for medical treatment. It is a type of particle accelerator using a high-frequency, alternating voltage that produces a perpendicular magnetic field which in turn, causes the particles to spiral almost in a circle so that they re-encounter the accelerating voltage many times

The Site
The cyclotron was to be located within an existing laboratory building close to the distribution centre enabling quick dispatch of manufactured medicines. The building had limited headroom and was also a fully working laboratory and distribution warehouse. Access to the area outlined for the vault and clean room was also difficult as ground floor level was approx. 1200mm above external ground level, and moving the cyclotron to its final position when inside the building due to its overall weight

The Design

The Area designated for the cyclotron in the existing building was accurately surveyed to establish headroom to structural members and live services, also noting the location of structural columns walls, foundations and below ground foundations.

The cyclotron was to be designed by a specialist company and would be delivered in 5 sections, the main core and the four shield doors. The main core weighed approx. so moving it to its final position had to be carefully considered.

The weight of the new cyclotron had to be checked against the strength of the existing slab and headroom. As a result, the existing ground slab had to be broken out and reduced in level. The new ground slab would be designed as a piled raft to accommodate the loads and new service trenches required for services.

The cyclotron was to be provided with a concrete box to shield and contain its magnetic field. This was achieved using reinforced concrete of specified thickness. However, the concrete box had to be constructed before the core of the cyclotron was delivered to site due to propping requirements etc; therefore part of one of the walls had to be omitted and a temp ramp installed to assist with installation to the lower level.

The most difficult aspect was constructing and casting the concrete roof slab within an existing roof space which had limited access space due to ducting and services and various options were considered. The cyclotron was manufactured to a very tight programme and had to be up and running by a specific date to honour hospital contracts, thus no time could be lost in construction requiring jnpgroup consulting engineers had to provide quick and accurate assistance to any queries raised from site.