Single accelerator/two-treatment vault system

• US 6,459,089 B1
• Filed: 03/03/2000
• Issued: 10/01/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Steris Inc (Steris Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Steris Inc (Steris Corporation)
• Inventors: Truby, Charles P., Masefield, John, Dzwierzynski, Jerome A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, John R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vanore, David A.
• Application Number:
  US09/518,417
• Time in Patent Office: 942 Days
• Field of Search: 250/492.1, 250/492.2, 250/492.22, 250/423.R, 250/307, 250/308, 250/309, 250/385.1, 250/453.11, 250/454.11, 250/455.11, 250/492.3
• US Class Current: 250/453.11
• CPC Class Codes: G21K 5/10 with provision for relative movement of beam source and object to be irradiated

Abstract

A particle accelerator (10) is disposed between a first shielded processing chamber (12)and a second shielded processing chamber (14). The accelerator selectively feeds a higher energy (e.g., 10 MeV) electron beam to the first processing chamber and selectively feeds a lower energy (e.g., 5 MeV) electron beam to the second processing chamber. A conveying system (16) transports article carriers to and through the first processing chamber. At a processing table (18), the articles are conveyed at a closely controlled speed through the electron beam for uniform dosing of an article to be irradiated. A loading station (20) and an unloading station (22) supply and remove articles from the first processing chamber. Beam bending magnets (44) change the direction of an electron beam between the first processing chamber and the second processing chamber. A second conveying system, such as a reel-to-reel system (40) for processing articles of indefinite length transported on reels and rolls, conveys articles through the second processing chamber.

Claims

1. An irradiation system comprising:

a radiation source;

a first processing chamber positioned adjacent said radiation source;

a second processing chamber positioned adjacent an opposite side of said radiation source, said first processing chamber and said second processing chamber are positioned opposite each other and are operable independent of each other;

said radiation source selectively feeds a first electron beam to said first processing chamber and a second electron beam of a different energy level to said second processing chamber.

2. The irradiation system of claim 1, wherein said radiation source provides a 10 MeV electron beam to said first processing chamber.

3. The irradiation system of claim 2, wherein said radiation source provides a 5 MeV electron beam to said second processing chamber.

5. The irradiation system of claim 1, further including:

a processing table disposed in the first processing chamber adjacent a radiation beam directing scan horn for uniform dosing of said electron beam to said article to be irradiated.

6. The irradiation system of claim 1, wherein first processing chamber comprises a loading station and an unloading station for supplying and removing articles from said first processing chamber.

8. The irradiation system of claim 1, wherein said radiation source further includes:

a rotary particle accelerator;

beam bending magnets which change the direction of an electron beam generated by the particle accelerator between said first processing chamber and said second processing chamber.

10. The irradiation system of claim 1, further comprising a safety system which verifies that the first processing chamber and second processing chamber do not have faults in their respective systems.

4. An irradiation system comprising:

a common radiation source for radiation of a first energy level and second energy level;

first and second processing chambers disposed on opposite sides of said radiation source, the first processing chamber receiving radiation of the first energy level and the second radiation source receiving radiation of the second energy level;

a conveyor system for transporting article carriers into and through at least said first processing chamber;

a conveyor loading system which selectively loads and unloads articles to be irradiated with radiation of the first energy level onto and off of the conveyor system, the loading system being disposed outside of said processing chambers.

7. The irradiation system of claim 4, wherein said conveying system comprises a code system for tracking articles as they are transported through the first processing chamber.

21. The irradiation system of claim 4, wherein said first and second processing chambers operate independently of each other.

22. The radiation system of claim 4, wherein said radiation source further includes:

a rotary particle accelerator;

beam bending magnets which deflect an electron beam of the first energy level in the first processing chamber and an electron beam of the second energy level to the second energy chamber.

9. An irradiation system for treating articles of indefinite lengths with radiation, the system comprises:

a first processing chamber;

a second processing chamber positioned adjacent the first processing chamber;

a reel-to-reel system for feeding articles of indefinite length into and through the second processing chamber;

an electron beam source disposed adjacent both the first and second chambers to supply a first electron beam to said first processing chamber and a second electron beam of a different energy level to said second processing chamber to irradiate the articles of indefinite length as they pass through the second chamber.

11. An irradiation system comprising:

a first radiation shielded processing chamber;

a second radiation shielded processing chamber;

a particle accelerator which generates particle beams of different energy levels;

a first particle beam path leading from the accelerator to a first scan horn disposed in the first processing chamber to discharging a particle beam of a first energy level into a radiation processing region of the first chamber;

a second particle beam path leading from the accelerator to a second scan horn disposed in the second processing chamber to discharging a particle beam of a second energy level into a radiation processing region of the second chamber;

a deflector which selectively deflects a particle beam between the first and second particle beam paths;

said first processing chamber and said second processing chamber are operable independent of one another.

12. The irradiation system as set forth in claim 11 further including:

a first conveyor system for conveying articles to be irradiated into the first chamber, through the first chamber radiation processing region, and out of the first chamber.

13. The irradiation system as set forth in claim 12, wherein the first conveyor system includes a process region portion that moves the articles through the radiation processing region at controlled speed to assure uniform radiation dosage.

14. The irradiation system as set forth in claim 11, wherein the particle beam is a charged particle beam and the deflector includes a magnet for magnetically deflecting the beam between the first and second beam paths.

15. The irradiation system as set forth in claim 11, wherein the particle beam is an electron beam.

16. An irradiation system comprising:

a first radiation shielded processing chamber;

a second radiation shielded processing chamber;

a rotary charged particle accelerator which has at least a first discharge port which discharges electrons of a first energy level and a second discharge port which discharges electrons of a second energy level;

a first particle bean path leading from the first accelerator discharge outlet to a first scan horn disposed in the first processing chamber to direct an electron beam of the first energy level into a radiation processing region of the first chamber;

a second particle beam path leading from the second accelerator discharge outlet to a second scan horn disposed in the second processing chamber to direct acceleration of the second energy level into a radiation processing region of the second chamber.

17. The irradiation system as set forth in claim 16, wherein the deflector deflects electrons accelerated to a first energy into the first path and electrons accelerated to a second energy into the second path.

18. A method of irradiating articles comprising:

accelerating electrons;

forming the accelerated electrons into a first electron beam and directing the electron beam into a first radiation shielded chamber;

conveying articles to be irradiated through the first chamber;

directing the electron beam through the conveyed articles in the first chamber;

while directing the electron beam through the conveyed articles in the first chamber, setting up to convey different articles through a second radiation shield chamber;

conveying the different articles through the second chamber and forming the accelerated electrons into a second electron beam and directing the second electron beam to the second chamber and through the conveyed articles in the second chamber.

19. The method as set forth in claim 18, further including:

stopping the electron beam from entering the first chamber before directing the electron beam into the second chamber, and

performing one of set-up, maintenance, and repairs in the first chamber.

20. The method as set forth in claim 18, wherein the first and second electron beams have different energies such that different irradiation treatments are carried out in the first and second chambers.

23. The method as set forth in claim 18 wherein the first processing chamber is under atmospheric conditions and the articles are conveyed from outside the first chamber, into the first chamber and through the electron beam, and out of the first chamber during the irradiation process.