MEchanical X-RAY (MEXRAY) Generator for Megavolt Radiography

Radiography is an important tool for determining the internal structure of objects of interest to the emergency response community. The inherent density of these objects often requires high-energy x-ray or gamma-rays which limits the range of available radiation sources/generators. Man-portable, low-power, megavolt sources currently do not exist. A megavolt x-ray system (MEXRAY) has been developed which uses mechanical charge-separation to create high-energy electrons which can then be used to create bremsstrahlung radiation. This approach relies on established physical principles e.g. charge separation, and the photoelectric effect, combined in a unique manner to produce a highly-efficient, low cost, compact, light-weight, high energy x-ray generator. This source can be used in either a pulsed or steady state manner making it suitable for multiple-pulse flash radiography, field radiography, or simply as a compact, low-impedance, high-energy electron injector.

I. Introduction

Since the terrorist attacks of 9-11 the needs of the EOD community continue to evolve and the desire for higher-energy operation and even more compact pulsed-power radiation generating units has arisen [1]. Simply stated, the need to radiograph ever-smaller objects through ever-thicker shielded containers is a challenging problem. To resolve small features in a thick object, one needs to carefully match both the x-ray flux and the x-ray energy to obtain optimal statistical information [2]).