4-sided irradiation systems for electron treatment of cable and pipe-like products

A 4-sided system of irradiation is described which enables one to combine h igh quality of irradiation with high efficiency of beam usage. Maximum homo geneity and minimum energy of electrons for a given thickness of insulation is achieved with the use of this irradiation system. The operation princip le of the device is based on the deflection of an electron beam by a magnet ic field. It changes electron trajectories so that, regardless of the input point, all electrons passing the left-hand magnet have an angle with the v ertical axis of - 45 degrees +/- 5 degrees and for the right-hand magnet 45 degrees +/- 5 degrees, so the beam trajectories intersect at an angle of 90 degrees. The cable is placed under the beam in such a way that the uppe r and lower surfaces of the cable are changed at each turn so that, taking into account this change of surfaces, we obtain a 4-sided irradiation. Two versions of the universal system of cable irradiation are suggested in this paper. The methods have been designed for use on the ELV-series of acceler ators. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.