General Information

 

CAD Rendering of the Accelerating Structure

 

Introduction

 

The Gaerttner LINAC Laboratory has been engaged in active research continuously for over 45 years. Research with electrons, photons and neutrons has applications to nuclear engineering, nuclear physics, radiation effects in electronics, radiation production, radiation processing of materials, conventional radiography, computed tomography, and other industrial processes. Enhancement of materials and chemical properties and processing by high energy radiation is a growing industrial tool applicable to both environmental and commercial applications. Radiation testing of electronic materials, components and systems is of major importance for reliability and survivability in diverse environments. Current areas of research at the LINAC include thermal reactor physics, photoneutron reactions, neutron cross sections, radiation effects in electronics, and production of medical isotopes. This laboratory has well served government and industry in numerous applications where it has provided a unique and highly intense radiation environment. The Gaerttner LINAC Laboratory has been designated as a Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society. Laboratories for these and other ionizing radiation applications & research are few and require expensive facilities and highly trained staff.

 

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Accelerator

 

The laboratory's research is centered about a multi-million dollar, high power, >60 MeV, L-band traveling wave, electron linear accelerator. The facility has provided the research community with faithful service since December of 1961 and is operated and maintained by a well trained staff. The staff consists of engineers and technicians trained in the use and operation of electrical, electronic, and radiation sources and monitoring equipment. The laboratory is located on Tibbits Ave in Troy, NY on the periphery of the institute's main campus with adequate parking and easy access to experimental areas and apparatus. The LINAC today consists of nine RF accelerator sections that accelerate pulses of electrons to a maximum energy in excess of 60 MeV with peak target currents in excess of 3 amperes.

Linac Control Console

The electron beam can be extracted either after the third or ninth section. In this way it is capable of providing a high energy pulsed beam of electrons, in the range from 5 to more than 60 MeV. Typical operating conditions for three-section operation are: electron energy, 5 to 25 MeV; electron pulse width, from 7 nanoseconds to 5 microseconds; peak electron current, the order of amperes; average electron power, 10 kW or more; peak dose rate, 10 to 18 MeV,>10E11 Rads/sec in Silicon; repetition rate, single pulse to 500 pulses per second (PPS), subject to average power restrictions. For nine-section configuration: 25 to 60 MeV or more; pulse width, 7 nanoseconds to 5 microseconds; peak electron current, the order of amperes; average power of 10's of kW; peak neutron production rate greater than 4 x 10E13/sec; repetition rate, single pulse to greater than 500 PPS, subject to average power limitations. These two ranges of energies allow the accelerator to be used for a variety of uses. In the range of 5 to 25 MeV the accelerator can provide an intense beam of low-energy electrons for radiation hardening and transient radiation measurements in electronics, transformation of materials through radiation, sterilization/radurization, etc. In the 25 to over 60 MeV range the accelerator can provide an intense beam of electrons for photoneutron production, nuclear reactor environment simulation, and high-energy Bremsstrahlung production.

 

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Equipment and Facilities

 

The Linac target area can accommodate large experimental apparatus, dimensions of over a meter can be accommodated at radiation energies of 25 MeV and above. In the vicinity of the 5 to 25 MeV port, space is provided for smaller items such as integrated electronic circuits, components, and material samples. Reconfiguration to meet the needs of new projects is common; these setups represent the configurations that are presently implemented.

Linac Beam Line

The Gaerttner laboratory contains: (i) a large 70-ft-long by 30-ft-wide by 13-ft-high, fully shielded room with a 10-ton traveling crane, (ii) several rooms and buildings outside the target area to accommodate instrumentation and other apparatus, (iii) a machine shop to fabricate specialized apparatus, (iv) radiation detection and dosimetry equipment, (v) numerous coaxial, triaxial, and communication cables to interconnect experimental apparatus, (vii) a remote-controlled precision sled for electronics testing, and (viii) a large selection of nuclear instrumentation and electronic test equipment, including digitizing oscilloscopes, controlling microcomputer, printer and plotter, and assorted instrumentation and oscilloscopes. Arrangements can be made to rent specific instrumentation not presently available at the laboratory, with sufficient advanced notice.;

 

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Typical Capabilities

 

	Three Sections (Low Energy Port)	Nine Section (High Energy Port)
Electron Energy	5 to 25 MeV	25 to over 60 MeV
Pulse Width	7 to 5000 ns	7 to 5000 ns
Peak Current	7 to 50nS: 3A 50 to 5000nS: 400mA	7 to 50nS: 3A 50 to 5000nS: 400mA
Average Power	>10 kw@ 17 MeV, 5000 ns	>10 kw@ 60 MeV, 5000 ns
Peak Dose Rate	>1E11 Rads/sec (in Silicon)	n/a
Neutron Production	n/a	>4E13 neutrons/sec
Pulse Repetition Rate	<50nS: Single to 500 pps >50nS: Single to 300 pps	<50nS: Single to 500 pps >50nS: Single to 300 pps

 

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