State-of-the-Art Electron, Proton, and X-Ray Generators for Medical and Industrial Applications

Summary form only given. Accelerator technology, especially on the size scale appropriate for medical and industrial use, is advancing rapidly. IBA has developed a range of particle (electron and proton) accelerators and X-ray generators to target many of these applications. I will discuss design and configuration of these accelerators and their usage in medical diagnosis and especially in the treatment of cancer. For example, one mitigation technique for treatment of cancerous tumors is based on a stand-alone cyclotron. These cyclotrons produce proton beams of 400 nA intensity at 230 MeV, they weigh 200 Tons for a diameter of 4 meters. High-current cyclotrons have been designed to produce samples of short-lived radioisotopes required in many hospital diagnostics, including SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) employed in heart, brain, and kidney diagnosis and PET (positron emission tomography), which is more focused on cancer detection. A line of high-power electron accelerators, based, in part, on a concept from the French Commission on Atomic Energy, and applicable in industry is being developed and manufactured. These devices are employed in many industrial applications, including sterilization of medical equipment, enhancement of polymers, pasteurization of food, purification of water, and neutralization of toxic fumes.