Dynamitron

The Dynamitron is an electron beam particle accelerator developed by IBA Industrial, (formerly Radiation Dynamics) in the 1960s.

It is composed of a number of rectifier tubes, assembled in cascades. Semi-circular corona rings are attached to the anode and cathode of each rectifier in the cascade. Two rf electrodes are mounted near the inner surface of the tank. This circuit, with a resonance frequency around 100 kHz, is coupled inductively with an oscillator. Because of its high power, the oscillator sits in a separate tank. Parallel coupling of the cascade to the liners is accomplished through the electrode to corona ring capacitance.

The most commonly used applications of the Dynamitron are crosslinking and sterilization. The Dynamitron was built in several models, from 550 keV to 5 MeV.

Corporate history

In 1986, IBA began its existence as a spin-off of the Cyclotron Research Center of the Catholic University of Louvain-la-Neuve (UCL) in Belgium, which produced its first cyclotron in 1947. The objective was to exploit a unique expertise in particle accelerator technology to meet growing needs in the fields of medicine and industry.

Then, in 1992, IBA expanded its activities into the industrial sector of sterilization and ionization, by introducing the Rhodotron, a new type of particle accelerator based on a patented concept of the French Atomic Energy Commission. Funds raised on the Brussels stock market from an initial public offering in June 1998 enabled IBA to accelerate progress by internal growth and the acquisition of other companies, all offering technologies and services reinforcing or complementing IBA's core competencies.

In February 1999, Ion Beam Applications purchased Radiation Dynamics Inc. RDI was established in the field of high power low energy electron beam particle accelerators used for heat shrinking and polymer modification applications in the wire, cable, tubing, tire, film, and foam industries. The Dynamitron has a very large installed base, with more than 200 units, primarily in the US.

References

APPLICATION OF ACCELERATORS IN RESEARCH AND INDUSTRY: 17TH International Conference on the Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry R. A. Galloway, S. DeNeuter, T. F. Lisanti, and M. R. Cleland

External links

• Official Dynamitron site
• DC Accelerator principles
• DIAGNOSIS OF DYNAMITRON ACCELERATOR FAULTS THROUGH THE OBSERVATION OF NARROW NUCLEAR RESONANCES
• Dynamitron description by Boeing