Engineering topics

McCrady, Rodney Craig

Publications and source records attributed to McCrady, Rodney Craig.

3 records

DOE OSTI2022

Beam Breakup Simulations for the Scorpius Flash-Radiography Accelerator

Beam breakup (BBU) in linear induction accelerators (LIAs) used for flash radiography is problematic because the high-frequency beam motion can blur the source spot, thereby degrading resolution. Amplification of BBU depends directly on details of cell design and is suppressed in operation by the solenoidal magnetic field focusing on the electron beam. Therefore, much effort has gone into design of the cells and magnetic focusing for the new Scorpius radiography LIA. Here, in this article, we use computer simulations to demonstrate that BBU in Scorpius should be no more than in present radiography LIAs at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

DOE OSTI2020

A beam profile and position measurement system for the IPF target

Currently one determines the size and position of the proton beam at the IPF target using plastic films. These films are installed in a target carrier, lowered into position, exposed to the beam, raised back up to the hot cell, removed from the target carrier, and assessed via a video feed. About an hour is required for each cycle of measurement. Because of this high cost in terms of time the users usually settle for a beam that is good enough to meet their needs, but not as good as they would like. I propose here a diagnostic device that would enable a measurement of under two seconds. This would enable delivery of a better-quality beam in less time.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2019

Novel design and diagnostics improvements for increased production capacity and improved reliability at the Los Alamos Isotope Production Facility

The Isotope Production Facility (IPF) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) is used to produce an array of isotopes for medical, global security, and research applications with an intense beam of protons supplied by the linear accelerator at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE). An Accelerator Improvement Project (AIP) was recently conducted at IPF to improve facility reliability and reduce programmatic risk while increasing general isotope production capacity and flexibility. This was accomplished through the installation of an improved beam window assembly, more robust beam diagnostics, an active and adjustable collimator, and a new beam rastering system. This paper will highlight the four exciting innovations and how they were designed, validated, and installed in parallel as well as the significant operational advantages they provide to IPF. Key experiments and the increased currents achieved in routine production runs demonstrating the enhanced capability from the AIP will be presented. As a result, the most notable capability enhancements include irradiations with beam currents ranging from 100 nA experimental runs up to 300 μA on routine production targets and utilization of a range of cylindrical target diameters.

100 MeV protons↗