High power electron accelerators for radiation processing and its safety aspects

Electron accelerators from 500 keV to 10 MeV energy are employed for surface irradiation, food preservation, medical sterilization, cargo scanning and other industrial products. At EBC, a 10 MeV Linac has been indigenously developed and is operational for radiation processing. This is an on-axis coupled cavity standing wave type of RF linac operating with 50-70 keV electron gun having LaB6 cathode and klystron-based RF source at 2856 MHz. The linac is currently operating at 10 MeV, 130 mA (peak), 10 mu s pulses at a prf of 415 Hz and is employed for various experiments. A similar 9 MeV linac is operational for cargo-scanning. A compact 6 MeV linac is under development. A 500 keV, 3 kW dc accelerator based on Cockroft Walton multiplier has been operational for industrial surface processing. A 3 MeV dc accelerator based on parallel coupled multiplier column is operational at 1 MeV, 4.6 kW level. A 700 keV, 5 kW dc machine for cross-linking and graft polymerization is under development. A 100 MeV, 100 kW electron Linac for producing intense neutron source has been proposed for development. Technological developments, operating experiences, utilization for industrial applications and safety aspects of all facilities are described.