Operation of KOMAC 100 MeV Linac

A 100-MeV proton linear accelerator at the KOMAC (Korea Multi-purpose Accelerator Complex) was under development for past 15 years, including preliminary design study period, and was successfully commissioned in 2013. The operation of the linac for user service started in July 2013 with two beam lines: one for a 20-MeV beam and the other for a 100-MeV beam. The linac is composed of a 50-keV microwave proton source, a 3-MeV four-vane-type RFQ (radio-frequency quadrupole) and a 100-MeV DTL (drift tube linac). In 2015, the linac operating time was more than 2,800 hours with an availability of better than 89% and unscheduled downtime was about 73 hours, mainly due to the ion source and HVCM problems. More than 2,100 samples from various fields such as material science, bio and nano technology and nuclear science, were treated in 2015. Currently, additional beamline for radioisotope production is being commissioned and a new beamline for low-flux irradiation experiments are under construction along with a continuous effort being made to increase the average beam power.