Neutron diffraction using an electron linear accelerator

The Harwell electron linear acceleratorhelios has been used for studying the crystal structures of polycrystalline materials by neutron diffraction. Atomic positions and atomic vibrational amplitudes can be determined equally well with the pulsed method as with the more conventional method employing a high-flux nuclear reactor as source. The powder pattern can be indexed more easily with pulsed neutrons.     

Development of an up-flow irradiation device for electron beam wastewater treatment

Electron beam irradiation processing is an available technology to treat sludge, groundwater, surface water and industrial and municipal wastewater. The use of this technology into environmental areas has moved slowly because industry and government are always conservative in the adoption of new processes, especially when they can not observe the efficiency and cost effectiveness of a treatment in a full scale facility.

In this direction the hydraulic system where the water is presented to the electron beam governs the efficacy of this technology. The present work is based on the development of the irradiation device, an up-flow delivery system that alleviates the dependence of energy transfer to the stream with the beam accelerating voltage (penetration capability).

In this work a series of experiments were performed to establish the relationships between accelerating voltage ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 MeV, current, water flow and deposited dose in order to optimize the operating parameters and the selection of a cost-effective commercial electron beam.     

New irradiation system for photon activation analysis by electron linear accelerator

A more exact and reliable irradiation system for the photon activation analysis by the use of high power electron linear accelerator was originally designed and tested. Applications of a simple beam position monitor and a thin beryllium oxide ceramic disk in this system made possible to control the beam position on the center axis of sample during irradiation, and also permitted the reproducible irradiations in situ.     

Best use of high-voltage, high-powered electron beams: a new approach to contract irradiation services

Japan’s first high-voltage, high-powered electron beam processing center is scheduled to come on-line during the first half of 1999. The center explores both challenges and opportunities of how best to use the 200 kW 10 MeV unit and its 5 MeV X-ray line. In particular, Nuclear Fuel Industries, Ltd. (NFI) has expanded the traditional model of a contract irradiation facility to include a much broader scope of services such as door-to-door transport, storage, and direct distribution to its customer’s end-users. The new business scope not only finds new value-added components in a competitive marketplace, but serves to provide a viable mechanism to take advantage of the processing logistics of high throughput irradiation units. As such, the center features a high-capacity warehousing system, monitored by a newly developed PCMS (plant control management system), which has been comprehensively integrated into the irradiation unit’s handling system, and will require only minimal human resources for its high rate of material handling. The identification and development of initial markets for this first unit will be discussed, concluding with how this same operational philosophy can help break open new irradiation segments in medical devices, consumer goods, animal feed, and food markets and NFI’s other efforts in these same areas.     

Application of electron beam irradiation combined to conventional treatment to treat industrial effluents

A preliminary study to combine electron beam irradiation process with biological treatment was carried out. Experiments were conducted using samples from a governmental wastewater treatment plant (WTP) that receives about 20% of industrial wastewater, with the objective of destroying the refractory organic pollutants and to obtain a better performance of this plant. Samples from five different steps of WTP were collected and irradiated in the electron beam accelerator in a batch system with 5.0, 10.0 and 20.0 kGy doses. The main results showed a removal of 99% of all organic compound analysed in the industrial receiver unit (IRU) effluent and in the coarse bar screen (CBS) effluent with a 20 kGy dose, and for the medium bar screen (MBS) and primary sedimentation (PS) effluent a 10 kGy dose was sufficient. In the case of final effluent (FE), a dose of 5 kGy removed the remaining organic compounds and dyes present after biological treatment.     

Undulator linear accelerator as a generator of ribbon high power ion beams

The characteristics of an undulator linear accelerator, based on the use of a plane electrostatic undulator (UNDULAC-E), is presented in this paper. It is shown that UNDULAC-E can be used as a high intensity ribbon ion beam source. The results of modeling of dynamics and construction are presented.     

Electron beam forming system for irradiation of large diameter cylindrical products

The report describes electron beam electromagnetic forming system, which is destined for irradiation of cylindrical long goods, specifically for PE tubes 160 mm diameter. System consists of electromagnet, power supply units, beam distributions control units, etc. for use at an electron accelerator at 5 MeV and 50 kW. The particular geometry of the magnet poles and their mutual arrangement are creating an irradiation field that allows the electrons to irradiate the surface of the product close to 90°.     

Convergence accelerator approach for the evaluation of some three‐electron integrals containing explicit rij factors

A simplified analysis is presented for the evaluation of the three‐electron one‐center integrals of the form ∫rrrrrred r ₁d r ₂d r ₃, for the cases i, j, k, ≥−2, l=−2, m≥−1, n≥−1. These integrals arise in the calculation of lower bounds for energy levels and certain relativistic corrections to the energy when Hylleraas‐type basis sets are employed. Convergence accelerator techniques are employed to obtain a reasonable number of digits of precision, without excessive CPU requirements. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 72: 93–99, 1999     

Integration of a linear accelerator into a production line of mechanically deboned separated poultry meat

Linear accelerators, commonly called Linacs, are being used for different industrial processes. This kind of machine produces high power electron beams and can treat many products with a high throughput.

The main application of a Linac is the sterilization of medical disposable devices, polymerization and decontamination of food products. Salmonella commonly contaminates poultry. Thanks to E-beam treatment, it eradicates the pathogen quickly and permits the use of meat that should have been thrown away because of its infection.

The world’s first Linac dedicated to treat mechanically deboned poultry meat is located in Brittany at the Société des Protéines Industrielles. It is a Thomson CSF Linac product, the CIRCE II, with an energy of 10 MeV and a power of 10 kW. This Linac has been used for more than 8 years, and its technology is fully proven.     

Compact ILU-type electron accelerators as a base for industrial 4-sided irradiation systems for cable and tubes

The ILU-type industrial electron accelerators are developed in BINP sins 1967. Their energy range is 0.7–4.0 MeV at beam power of 20–50 kW. The comparison of the irradiation results after bilateral and four-sided irradiation of cables and tubes is given. It is shown that the required electron energy and beam power in the case of four-sided irradiation are sufficiently lower than in the case of bilateral irradiation, resulting in an increase of productive rate of the process and improvement of treatment quality. The installations for four-sided irradiation of cables and tubes are based on the industrial electron accelerators type ILU.     

Effect of electron irradiation on nitrofurans and their metabolites

Research on the degradation of aqueous furazolidone, nitrofurantoine and semicarbazide (SC) solutions, and 3-amino-2-oxazolidinone (AOZ) residues in tissues of chicken and crucian under electron beam irradiation have been carried out. Results showed that about 75% furazolidone and 70% nitrofurantoine degraded at 6 kGy dose, and SC with the initial concentration of 667 μg/L degraded by 94% at 12 kGy dose. While AOZ in the crucian and chicken degraded by 22.5% and 20.7%, respectively, after being irradiated at 12 kGy. The degradation conditions were investigated to provide a reference to improve irradiation techniques.     

Low energy electron beam treatment of VOCs

Research on electron beam decomposition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in air was carried out to establish an advanced treatment technology for industrial off-gases. Benzene, toluene and o-xylene were selected as aromatic VOCs and dichloro-, trichloro- and tetrachloro-ethylene as chloroethenes. The experimental results showed that G-values of decomposition ranged from 1.0–2.2 in aromatic compounds and 30–60% of decomposed compounds were converted into aerosols. On the other hand, G-values of decomposition of chloroethenes increased with the initial concentration and number of chlorine atoms in a molecule, for example, the G-value at 180 and 1580 ppm of tetrachloroethylene were 22 and 172, respectively. The formation of aerosol was not observed in the decomposition of chloroethenes. An application of low energy electron accelerator for treatment of exhaust gases containing VOCs was also discussed.     

Modification of fluoropolymers by means of electron beam irradiation

High molecular weight polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is transformed to free-flowing micropowder by treatment with electron beams. In case of irradiation in presence of air carboxylic acid fluoride groups are incorporated which rapidly hydrolyze to carboxylic groups in the surface-near regions due to atmospheric humidity. These polar groups reduce the hydrophobic and oleophobic properties so much that homogeneous compounding with other materials becomes possible. In addition to PTFE, copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene with hexafluoropropylene (FEP) and perfluoropropylvinylether (PFA) were modified. In case of identical irradiation conditions, the concentration of carboxylic groups is much higher in FEP and PFA than in PTFE, which is due to the lower crystallinity of the copolymers.

Electron beam irradiation of PTFE was performed in vacuum at elevated temperature above the melting point. The changes in the chemical structure were studied. The concentration of CF₃ branches was found to be much higher as compared to room temperature irradiation.

In a practical test PTFE micropowders functionalized by electron irradiation were compounded with epoxy resins, with polyoximethylene and with polyamides. Such compounds are characterized by very good frictional and wearing behaviour in dry-running tests.     

Synthesis of colloidal SnSe quantum dots by electron beam irradiation

Water-soluble orthorhombic colloidal SnSe quantum dots with an average diameter of 4 nm were successfully prepared by a novel irradiation route using an electronic accelerator as a radiation source and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) as a surfactant. The quantum dots exhibit a large direct bandgap of 3.89 eV, greatly blue shifted compared with that of bulk SnSe (1.0 eV) due to the quantum confinement effect. The quantum dots show blue photoluminescence at ∼420 nm. The influence of CTAB on the growth of the quantum dots was investigated and a possible reaction/growth mechanism was proposed.     

The determination of the mean sizes of large He droplets by electron impact induced attenuation

The mean number sizes of large He droplets (N10⁵ atoms) created in a free jet expansion are measured by attenuating the droplets by the electrons of a mass spectrometer ionizer. Droplets formed at source temperatures of 6, 12, 15 and 20 K and source pressures from 1 to 100 bar are investigated. The resulting values of mean droplet sizes agree well with previous results obtained by an independent method.     

Remotion of organic compounds of actual industrial effluents by electron beam irradiation

Organic compounds has been a great problem of environmental pollution, the traditional methods are not effecient on removing these compounds and most of them are deposited to ambient and stay there for long time causing problems to the environment. Ionizing radiation has been used with success to destroy organic molecules. Actual industrial effluents were irradiated using IPEN's electron beam wastewater pilot plant to study organic compounds degradation. The samples were irradiated with and without air mixture by different doses. Irradiation treatment efficiency was evaluated by the Cromatography Gas Analyses of the samples before and after irradiation. The studied organic compounds were: phenol, chloroform, tetrachloroethylene (PCE), carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethylene (TCE), 1,1-dichloroethane, dichloromethane, benzene, toluene and xilene. A degradation superior to 80% was achieved for the majority of the compounds with air addition and 2kGy delivered dose condition. For the samples that were irradiated without air addition the degradation was higher.     

Crosslinking of recycled polyethylene by gamma and electron beam irradiation

Recycling of polymeric materials is usually accompanied by degradation and deleterious properties. Irradiation crosslinking of recycling low density polyethylene by electron beam and gamma rays could be the solution to improve their properties. This paper presents a comparison on the effects of gamma and electron irradiation on virgin and recycled polyethylene. Their mechanical, thermal and chemical properties were analyzed. VPE samples shown higher crosslinking percentages than RPE samples in all range of doses studied, unirradiated RPE samples had higher values on their tensile properties than VPE. Percentage crystallinity was similar in all range of doses studied.     

Degradation of epoxy resins under high energy electron beam irradiation: Radio-oxidation

The degradation of two epoxy systems exposed to electron beam irradiation in oxygen atmosphere has been studied and compared to our previous results obtained under helium atmosphere. A multi-scale approach to the degradation has been carried out using a variety of analytical methods including solid state NMR spectroscopy, 2D-WISE experiments, SEC measurements and infrared spectroscopy associated with chemical derivatisation treatments. It is shown that the degradation of both polymers is governed by radiolytic processes which involve chain scissions. The formation of oxidation products, mainly carboxylic acid chain ends, was shown at the surface of the irradiated film. Oxidative degradation is limited to the first 20 μm of the film due to the low oxygen diffusion coefficient in epoxy polymers combined with the high dose rates of irradiation.     

Degradation and stability of polyaniline on exposure to electron beam irradiation (structure-property relationship)

Polyaniline (PAni) was prepared by electrochemical polymerization and subjected to different doses of electron beam (EB) irradiation. The effect of EB irradiation causes both chain scission and cross-linking process in PAni, which depends on irradiation dose. The degree of chain scission and cross-linking in PAni by EB irradiation is characterized through XRD, TGA, DSC, solubility, EPR and electrical properties measurement. The results reveal that with increase in EB irradiation dose from 0 to 150 kGy DC and AC conductivity and dielectric constant are found to increase mainly due to the chain scission or further doping in PAni. Due to irradiation there is change in the structure of PAni, such as decrease in the d-spacing, inter-chain separation, thermal stability and T_g but increase in the percent crystallinity and solubility. With further increase in the EB irradiation dose from 150 kGy onwards the DC and AC conductivity and dielectric constant are decreased due to the cross-link formation or dedoping in PAni, which causes the decrease in percentage of crystallinity and solubility and increase in d-spacing, inter-chain separation, thermal stability and T_g of PAni.     

Effect of electron beam irradiation on morphology and sieving characteristics of nylon-66 membranes

Nylon-66 is a typical semicrystalline polymer that can be crosslinked through electron beam (EB) irradiation. Crosslinking can dramatically change polymer properties. The objective of this research was to observe how EB irradiation affects morphology and sieving characteristics of nylon-66 membranes. EB irradiation was carried out in air at 60, 70 and 80 kGy doses. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), swelling and gel content studies evidenced the morphological changes and crosslinking of nylon-66 membranes. Sieving characteristics were also measured using pure water permeation, and rejection of raffinose, vitamin B12, and mono- and divalent salts. These results show that nylon-66 membrane surface and permeation characteristics changed with different irradiation doses. The nylon-66 surface became denser and the gel content increased with increasing irradiation dose. Furthermore, pure water permeation decreased and small molecules were increasingly rejected with greater irradiation doses. The amount of rejection was between 33% and 88.4% for vitamin B12 and between 16% and 83% for raffinose. The highest vitamin B12 and raffinose rejection was seen with a N-80 membrane, and no rejection was measured with N-0 or N-60 membranes. Salt rejection, however, was very low, especially for NaCl, with only 10.51-46% rejected. Based on flux, permeability and uncharged solute (vitamin B12 and raffinose) rejection data, nylon-66 type N-70 and N-80 membranes were estimated to be in the nanofiltration (NF) range.