El LINAC de Bariloche

Installed at an Argentine Atomic Energy Commission (CNEA) Centre, the Centro Atómico Bariloche, some 10 km from the city of San Carlos de Bariloche (ca. 120 000 inhabitants in 2005), the LINAC has been in operation since 1970. Initial studies and experiments were carried on since the mid fifties.

Description

It is a variable current pulsed electron accellerator of the conventional progressive wave type, with a constant gradient accellerating section. Its power source is a 15 megawatt peak power klystron.

Characteristics

Energy : main accellerating waveguide 25 MeV secondary waveguide 2.65 MeV
Peak current : variable up to 300 mA
Pulse width : 1 to 2 microseconds (can be modified down to 10 nanosec.)
Repetition frecuency : 0 to 100 Hz (or external trigger)
Mean current : 0 to 35 micro Ampere.
The whole machine is placed in a 5.50m x 13m shielded cell.
The 25 MeV beam may be deflected into five possible exit angles.
The 2.65 MeV beam, into three possible exit angles.

Uses

It may be employed to irradiate with high energy electrons, with high energy bremsstrahlung photons or with neutrons. It is mainly devoted to applications requiring a moderate intensity pulsed neutron source. Two beam extraction tubes allow time-of-flight detection or sample positioning stations, at 3, 5, 8 and 17 meters flight paths. The longest tube is mainly devoted to neutron spectra and transmission measurements. The 5 m tube allows positioning of experiments up to 9 m flight distance, and has supported apparatus for high momentum transfer neutron diffraction, non-destructive hydrogen determination, deep inelastic neutron scattering (eVs) and provides a convenient platform for the development of new non invasive nuclear techniques for civil or industrial applications.