Our System
HESCO's IMAXS RF Head and 7.5MeV Linear Accelerator
Inside our Title 17 compliant cell and completely encased in shielding, our Linac delivers a uniform beam of gamma rays to your part in a safe and efficient manor. While our current configuration only supports parts under 1 foot in diameter, we have plenty of shielding and we can easily accommodate any sized part.
We have included the plots below to compare the energy spectrum of extragalactic gamma-ray background (EGB) radiation (Figure 1) to our own source and that of Cobalt-60 (Figure 2), the most commonly used radiation source for radiation hardness testing. While neither testing method completely covers the EGB spectrum, the linac covers a much larger range in a more even manor than Cobalt-60. Co60 delivers a good dose of 2 primary energy levels characterized by Beta decay; whereas our linac produces Bremsstrahlung radiation by bombarding a tungsten target with 7.5MeV electrons, resulting in a beam with a broadband continuous distribution of energy levels.
On top of that, our machine delivers a dose rate of up to 1krad/min @1m. A consistent, deliberate dose comparable to, if not larger than doses achieved by Co60 chambers, that doesn't decrease over the course of its lifetime.
Gamma Radiation Spectra In Earth's Exosphere
Figure 1: Fermi: Characterizing Diffuse Gamma-Ray Emission
Gamma ray data composition via various major experiments. Compiled by Fermi-LAT (2016)
HESCO's 7.5MeV Linac Spectra Compared to Co60
Figure 2: HESCO Simulated Data
Energy*Count normalized and put in log scale comparing the spectra for Co-60 and our 7.5MeV Linac
Electron Beam In The Near Future!
We understand that gamma rays are not the only radiation that will bombard your parts. The Van Allen Belt and our Sun are big sources of charged particles that are even more damaging than gamma rays.
By simply removing the tungsten target from one of our linear accelerators, we will be able to produce a beam of electrons in tightly grouped energy levels. We are in the process of making this happen for our 11MeV linac, so feel free to contact us for more information about this endeavor as well!
Max Dose Rates and Spot Sizes
Running our system at full power yields a dose rate of 1564 rad/min at 1 meter. We can scale this number up greatly by moving the part closer as shown by the leftmost column. The field size in the rightmost column represents the size of the part where the variations in beam distribution will be negligible; larger parts may get up to 10% difference in dose on the outer edges.
Using the last row as an example: A 2cm part can get a dose rate up to 39090 rad/min with negligible variations in beam distribution. The right thing to do for a 3cm part is to move it back 10cm, but you could also achieve that high dose of 39090 rad/min with up to 10% variation in beam distribution on the outer edges.
Example Operation Times
Shown above is an example testing program where the client may want to test the part for data intermittently before given the full radiation dose. Using both charts above, at full power, it is shown that a part smaller than 5cm in length can get a total dose of 100krads in a total "beam on" time of 16 minutes.
It is important to note that testing can also be done continuously as the beam is on. For customers that want a continuous test, our shielding solution includes plenty of strategically placed gaps to allow wiring to reach the part while operators and other important equipment remain in a safe zone.
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