As China’s first proton accelerator dedicated for testing displacement damage effects, the Proton Radiation Effects Facility (PREF), also known as the 60 MeV Proton Accelerator, passed the proton beam acceptance test on September 12. The test results showed that all indicators of the accelerator have exceeded the design indicators.
PREF, having produced its first beam in August 2023, can provide high-current, large-scan-area and high-quality proton beams in the 10-60 MeV energy range. The project of PREF was undertaken by the Xinjiang Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and was designed and constructed by the Institute of Modern Physics (IMP) of CAS.
Based on the technologies and experience in designing and constructing several generations of ion accelerators, the team from IMP adopted new technologies in a super-small proton synchrotron accelerator for the first time, such as the titanium alloy ceramic ring inner lining ultra-high vacuum chamber and full-energy non-harmonic resonance high-power power supplies.
The team also developed the fast-rising full-waveform dynamic magnetic field compensation technology and the full-system synchronization real-time measurement technology, achieving full-process digital simulation and precise control of beams.
Through BIM modeling of the entire system engineering, the team strictly controlled the process specifications and procedures, which has significantly improved the engineering quality and operation efficiency of the facility.
PREF is expected to serve as an important test platform for space science and technology, and will lay a solid foundation for further promotion of applied accelerators.
PREF—60 MeV Proton Accelerator (Image by IMP)
