SBIR PHASE I: A Compact Betatron for Nondestructive Evaluation

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9560478 Lombardo This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project could significantly reduce the cost of radiological nondestructive assessment. An inexpensive compact betatron will be used as a high-flux x-ray source for the purpose of nondestructive evaluation (NDE) in civil structures. The x-ray source would replace more expensive RF linacs and thereby reduce the cost of radiological equipment. In conventional betatrons, eddy-current losses in the iron limit the frequency and the maximum field, thereby limiting the output beam power. With the use of proprietary low-loss, high-frequency materials, it has been determined that higher driving frequencies permit much higher x-ray fluxes. Radiological NDE requires just such an x-ray source to provide rapid, high signal-to-noise analyses. Phase I will determine the necessary betatron design parameters including the electromagnet dimensions, the pole shapes, pole gap, and the optimum placement of the electron gun for injection. Computer programs recently developed by Adelphi Technology, Inc. for the Department of Energy will be used for high repetition-rate betatrons. The analysis will attempt to demonstrate that an inexpensive betatron will provide the x-ray flux necessary to examine concrete structures up to 70 cm thick. The proposed research will demonstrate the commercial and technical feasibility of an inexpensive compact betatron suitable for the NDE of civil structures. Other commercial applications of such a betatron include cancer radiotherapy, medical imaging, microlithography of integrated circuits, and compact baggage scanners.