Industrial application of high power linac by Titan Beta

A high average power linac has been developed at Titan Beta for sterilization of disposable medical products in an industrial environment. Present systems operate up to 7000 hours per year. The first unit has been in operation at Denver, Colorado since July 1993. The 2nd unit has been in operation in San Diego, California since January 1996, one in Austria has been in operation since July 1997, and two more units are under construction at the factory. A 12 MW, 100 kW klystron modulator has been developed at Titan Beta for this linac. This line-type, thyratron switched modulator operates at 20 kV PFN charge with average current of more than eight amperes. This paper discusses system and subsystem reliability as well as control system upgrades being implemented.