DOE Basic Research Needs Workshop on Energy & Environmental Applications of Accelerators
June 24-26, 2015
Particle accelerators are not only powerful tools for discovery science, but also essential tools in industry, medicine, and national security. Recent advances in particle accelerator technology have the potential to benefit many energy and environmental (E&E) applications, such as:
- Treating potable water, waste water, and sludge,
- Removing pollutants from stack gases,
- Treating medical waste,
- Conducting environmental remediation of hydrocarbon contaminated soil and conversion of fossil fuels,
- Treating asphalt to improve wear resistance,
- Increasing the capacity of wind generators,
- Enhancing the magnetic separation of material streams, and
- Increasing the efficiency of electrical power transmission.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of High Energy Physics within the Office of Science, as the host office for the Accelerator Stewardship Program, sponsored a basic research needs workshop (June 24–26, 2015, Argonne National Laboratory) to assess the R&D needed to enable high-impact applications of accelerator technology to address E&E challenges. The workshop brought together nearly 40 experts in E&E applications and particle accelerator technology.
January 23-25, 2013
Lasers play an increasingly important role in accelerator performance and are expected to provide the foundation for new techniques to make future facilities even more flexible and powerful. While lasers are already essential for high-performance accelerators that support fundamental science and its applications, they are even more the key to the development of future accelerators, including compact systems for medicine, industrial applications, homeland security and discovery science. Attributes in common to all future applications include the need for one or more of the following features: high peak power (high energy in a very short pulse), high average power (high repetition rate), and high electrical efficiency (cost-effective use of wall-plug power). To prepare for these future laser needs, the Office of High-Energy Physics of the Department of Energy's Office of Science hosted a Community Input Workshop to gather information on possible objectives and opportunities associated with a program being considered to develop innovative accelerator-related laser technology. The workshop, which took place in Napa, California, from January 23-25, 2013, identified technical challenges and opportunities specific to accelerator-based applications of laser technology and indicated R&D activities needed to achieve the desired laser performance specifications.
January 9-10, 2013
Even with less than fully optimized treatment techniques, there have been reports of impressive local control rates using particle beam therapy for difficult-to-treat cancers such as liver, pancreas, lung, and head and neck, as well as pediatric neoplasms. Based on a number of case reports and on their potential biological advantage, there is now increasing medical interest in exploring the use of other light ions for therapy; typically beams up to carbon are considered. To develop requirements for next-generation ion beam therapy production and delivery systems, the Department of Energy Office of Science's High-Energy Physics program, along with the National Cancer Institute, hosted a Community Input Workshop on Ion Beam Therapy in Bethesda, MD, from January 9-11, 2013. This workshop identified the required features of next-generation beam production and delivery systems, such as spot size, pulse intensity, positional control and stability, energy control and stability, and beam halo criteria. Technological challenges of providing the required features were discussed, with the aim of applying modern accelerator design approaches to their solution.