Munes a Compact Neutron Source for Bnct and Radioactive Wastes Characterization

At INFN LNL (Legnaro Italy) it has been built a high intensity Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) structure, able to produce a 5 MeV proton beam of 30 mA. Coupled with a Be target such a beam can generate a neutron flux of 1014 n/s, with a spectrum centred in the MeV region (that has been recently characterized in detail at LNL accelerators). This neutron flux can be moderated to generate a thermal or epithermal source for BNCT with very little contamination of energetic form energetic neutron and gamma. Since the approval of MUNES project (in 2012) the high technology issues related to a compact neutron source to be installed in a Hospital environment have been faced. In particular for the powering of the accelerating structure an innovative system, completely based on solid state amplifiers, has been developed and ordered to industry. An outline of MUNES design and the status of the project will be given in the paper.