How has Fermilab's accelerator strategy evolved?

Fermilab has shifted its focus from solely pursuing the highest energy accelerators (like the Tevatron) to developing high-intensity accelerators, which are believed to have greater application potential for the private sector.

What are some current industrial applications of accelerators?

Accelerators are used for hardening materials (like tools and tires), modifying optics, improving gem quality, solvent-free printing, food irradiation, and medical applications like proton cancer therapy.

How can accelerators help with environmental issues?

Accelerators can drive chemistry for more efficient reactions, destroy pesticides and pharmaceuticals in water, sterilize municipal water and sludge, and help remove NOx and SOx emissions from industrial processes.

Can accelerators help solve the problem of flared natural gas?

Yes, mobile accelerators could potentially be used to convert flared natural gas in remote areas into liquid hydrocarbons, offering a more efficient solution than traditional methods.

What is the potential for accelerators in infrastructure like roads?

By irradiating asphalt, accelerator technology can potentially harden roads, extending their lifespan and saving significant amounts on repairs, fuel, and taxpayer dollars.

What are the main obstacles to wider adoption of accelerator technology?

The primary obstacles are the perceived risk and high cost of entry, requiring significant expertise and investment in advanced technologies.

What is the role of the Illinois Accelerator Research Center (IARC)?

IARC serves as a portal for industry to access Fermilab's capabilities, aiming to develop new accelerator technologies, demonstrate applications, and support education to foster high-tech industries.

Key Moments

Particle Accelerators: Current and Future Applications

Fermilab

Science & Technology3 min read21 min video

Apr 29, 2015|10,864 views|157|10

Fermilab Physics Particle Accelerator (Invention)Industry Radiation IARC Accelerator Stewardship DOE United States Department Of Energy (Government Agency)Argonne National Laboratory (Organization)ANL FNAL

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Key Moments

TL;DR

Fermilab explores new industrial, environmental, and medical uses for advanced particle accelerator technology through partnerships.

Key Insights

Particle accelerators, while known for fundamental physics research, have numerous existing applications in industry and medicine.

Fermilab is focusing on high-intensity, high-power accelerators with greater potential for private sector applications than high-energy ones.

The DOE Accelerator Stewardship Test Facility Pilot Program aims to foster lab-industry-university partnerships for innovation and job creation.

Future applications include environmental solutions like water purification, waste treatment, and capturing flared natural gas.

Accelerator technology can also enhance materials, such as improving the durability of asphalt and enabling new designs for wind turbines.

Key obstacles to wider adoption include the perceived risk and high cost of entry, which new initiatives like the Illinois Accelerator Research Center aim to address.

THE EVOLUTION OF PARTICLE ACCELERATORS

Particle accelerators are rapidly advancing, with institutions like Fermilab pushing the boundaries of this technology. While historically used for fundamental particle physics research, such as discovering quarks and leptons, the focus is shifting. Fermilab, once home to the world's highest energy accelerator, the Tevatron, now produces the most powerful neutrino beams. This current strategy emphasizes high intensity and high power over just increasing energy, identifying this direction as having greater potential for private sector applications and broader societal impact.

EXISTING INDUSTRIAL AND MEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Accelerators are already integral to a vast array of existing technologies, touching many products and impacting the economy and daily well-being. They are used in material hardening through ion implantation, reducing friction, and modifying surfaces for medical implants and optical quality. Applications extend to environmentally friendly solvent-free printing and food irradiation. Electron beams, a low-energy application, are crucial for improving the heat resistance of coatings, wires, and cables by cross-linking polymers, a process essential for products like radial tires. Electron beam welding and machining are also vital in industries like automotive and aerospace.

ACCELERATORS IN NATIONAL SECURITY AND MEDICINE

Beyond industrial uses, accelerators play a role in national security, particularly through cargo scanning and active interrogation technologies used at ports to detect hazardous materials. In medicine, a significant application is proton cancer therapy, a technique pioneered by Fermilab's first director, Bob Wilson. Fermilab was instrumental in building the first facility for this treatment, which has since grown into a worldwide industry. Research into smaller, more compact accelerator technologies, including those using superconducting magnets, continues to advance medical applications.

FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL AND ENERGY APPLICATIONS

The future holds significant potential for accelerators in addressing pressing environmental and energy challenges. Accelerators can drive chemical reactions more efficiently than traditional heating methods by ionizing molecules. This capability can be applied to water treatment, effectively destroying pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and other organic contaminants, and sterilizing sludge, allowing for water reuse—a critical need as clean water becomes a scarce resource. They can also be used to capture and convert flared natural gas at oil wells into usable liquid hydrocarbons, mitigating environmental damage and recovering valuable resources. Electron accelerators are also being explored for cleaning emissions like NOx and SOx from coal power plants, using less water than conventional methods.

ENHANCING INFRASTRUCTURE AND MATERIALS

Accelerator technology offers promising avenues for improving infrastructure and materials. One notable area is extending the lifespan of asphalt roads. By applying radiation, similar to the process that hardens tires, it's possible to make asphalt more durable, reducing the need for frequent repairs and repaving, thereby saving taxpayer money and reducing the carbon footprint associated with road maintenance. Furthermore, advancements in high-temperature superconducting materials, like magnesium diboride, are enabling entirely new designs for wind turbines. These new designs can eliminate gearboxes, leading to lighter, more efficient systems for renewable energy generation.

FACILITATING PARTNERSHIPS AND INNOVATION

A key challenge to adopting these advanced accelerator applications is the perceived risk and high cost of entry, requiring specialized expertise. To overcome this, initiatives like the DOE Accelerator Stewardship Test Facility Pilot Program and the Illinois Accelerator Research Center (IARC) have been established. These programs aim to foster strong partnerships between national laboratories, industry, and universities. IARC serves as a portal for industry to access laboratory capabilities, accelerating the development of new accelerator technologies and products, supporting job creation, and boosting US industrial competitiveness by translating scientific advancements into tangible benefits.

Mentioned in This Episode

●Supplements

●Products

●Tools

●Organizations

●Concepts

●People Referenced

Accelerators: Applications and Innovations

Practical takeaways from this episode

Do This

Explore partnerships between national labs, industry, and universities to drive innovation.

Consider high-intensity accelerators for broader private sector applications beyond just high energy.

Investigate accelerator applications in environmental solutions like water purification and emissions control.

Utilize accelerators to improve material properties, such as hardening surfaces or extending road life.

Leverage new accelerator technologies like Superconducting RF for compact and efficient systems.

Focus on mobile accelerator solutions for remote applications like natural gas conversion.

Support initiatives like the DOE Accelerator Stewardship Program to foster new industries.

Avoid This

Rely solely on traditional heating methods for chemical reactions; consider more efficient electron beam methods.

Underestimate the potential of accelerators in non-traditional fields like environmental remediation and infrastructure.

View accelerators only as tools for fundamental science; recognize their significant industrial and economic impact.

Overlook the potential for developing new products and industries based on accelerator technology.

Underestimate the challenges of high cost and expertise entry for advanced accelerator technologies.

Common Questions

The program aims to promote partnerships between national laboratories, industry, and universities to advance accelerator technology, foster innovation, launch new industries, and create jobs.

Topics

Particle Accelerators DOE Environmental Solutions Superconducting RF Lab-industry Partnerships High-intensity Beams

Mentioned in this video

Concepts

Superconducting RF

A technology involving superconducting materials (like solid niobium) running at cryogenic temperatures, used by Fermilab and Argon to create compact and efficient accelerator systems.

Legislation & Policy

DOE Accelerator Stewardship Test Facility Pilot Program

A new initiative by the federal government to promote lab-industry-university partnerships on accelerators and related technologies, aiming to foster innovation and competitiveness.

People

Eric HBY

Mentioned as someone who will discuss the DOE Accelerator Stewardship Test Facility Pilot Program.

Tools & Products

Electron Beam Welding

A process utilizing electron beams for welding, used in various industries including automotive and aerospace.

Locations

Loma Linda, California

Location of the first facility-located proton therapy machine designed and built at Fermilab, which has been operating for decades.

North Dakota

Mentioned in the context of natural gas flaring, where mobile accelerators could potentially convert the flared gas to a liquid.

Products

Asphalt

A material used for roads, which can be hardened through irradiation to extend its lifespan, potentially saving fuel and taxpayer dollars.

Supplements

Magnesium diboride

Referred to as a high-temperature superconductor, used in advances for wind turbine technology.

Organizations

Illinois Accelerator Research Center (IARC)

A new facility developed by Fermilab and the state of Illinois to foster closer collaboration between the lab, industry, and universities for accelerator technology development and application.