AIRIX induction accelerator development at CESTA

AIRIX induction accelerator (16-20 MeV, 3.5 kA, 60 ns) has been designed at CESTA for flash X-ray radiography application. It is based on a 4 MeV, 3.5 kA pulsed electron injector and a 16 MeV induction accelerator. It is scheduled to be operational in 1999. The prototype PIVAIR is a validation step for AIRIX at 8 MeV. It comprises an injector (4 MeV, 3.5 kA, 60 ns) and 16 induction cells supplied by 8 high voltage generators (250 kV, 70 ns). Two different cell technologies have been tested (rexolite insulator or ferrite under vacuum) and will be compared in this paper. Results on beam characteristics, beam transport and beam centering procedure will be given as well as a validation of a BBU instabilities code.