Speaker
Description
This talk introduces a new class of simple, turn-key superconducting radio frequency (SRF) accelerators for broad use in industrial applications. Leveraging recent R&D breakthroughs in high-temperature SRF cavities, cost-effective radio-frequency sources, modern cryo-coolers, and high average current electron guns, Fermilab is building an accelerator based on the Nb3Sn coated 1.3 GHz TESLA style cavity design for pavement construction. We will show the experimental results of this novel concept on conduction cooling of SRF cavities, which removes the need for liquid Helium, thus making SRF technology accessible to industrial applications. We will also describe our linac design that generates electron beam energies up to 10 MeV in continuous-wave operation and the development status. We show that a single accelerator module can deliver average beam power as high as 250 kW and above through thermal, RF, and particle simulation. Compact and light enough to mount on mobile platforms, our machine will enable novel applications for in-situ crosslinking of materials, making more robust, durable, and efficient pavement infrastructure. In-situ crosslinking of bituminous materials at the point of use would eliminate the finite lifetimes in hot mixes and reduce the energy and pollution associated with heating the hot-mix asphalt.
