International Topical Meeting on Nuclear Research Applications and Utilization of Accelerators

4-8 May 2009, Vienna
SM/EB-26

Overview of an Industrial Electron Processing Document

A.J. Berejka1 and M. Cleland2

1Ionicorp, Huntington, New York, USA,

2IBA Industrial Inc., Edgewood, New York, USA

Electron beam processing is an important technology that the IAEA supports and promotes and has several programs to facilitate its use in developing Member States. This technology is used in diverse industries to enhance the physical and chemical properties of materials and to reduce undesirable contaminants, such as pathogens or toxic by-products. Worldwide, there are over 1,400 high-current industrial electron beam accelerators in commercial use.  There are also approximately 1,000 low-current accelerators used for research purposes and thousands of accelerators that are used in medical diagnostics or for cancer therapy. Countries around the world, including many developing countries, have expressed great interest in the use of this technology, and a document on “Industrial Electron Beam Processing” will be a brief introduction to electron beam (EB) and X-ray industrial processing, describing the key areas such as,

  1. industrial EB accelerators,
  2. the effects of ionization from accelerated electrons and X-radiation on materials, and
  3. major end-use markets and emerging applications.

This document is under preparation and will be published by the IAEA. It is intended to promote high-current electron beam processing to governments, agencies and the general public. It does not deal with the uses of low-current accelerators for research purposes or the use of accelerators in the medical area for diagnostics or therapy.