SUPERCONDUCTING LINAC X-RAY GENERATOR TO ELIMINATE HIGH-ACTIVITY STERILIZATION SOURCES

Cobalt-60 used in large scale sterilization facilities has the potential to be used in building Radiological Dispersal Devices (i.e.: “dirty bombs”) and poses an imminent national security threat. NNSA is funding a variety of efforts to develop alternative technologies that could be used to replace these large Co-60 irradiators. Niowave[1] has received NNSA funding to develop a sterilization facility based on a superconducting electron linac, an on-demand source which eliminates the dirty bomb threat. Niowave’s ongoing feasibility study already shows the superconducting linac system to be an effective and efficient alternative to Co-60 irradiators.