Abstract The development of a compact high repetition rate electron beam accelerator is reported. The specifications of the device are output electron energy 120--150keV, beam current 5--50A, pulse duration 1 μs, beam cross-section 5×50cm2 and repetition frequence 100Hz. The key part of the accelerator is a wire-ion-pla-sma (WIP) electron gun of particular advantage. The principle of operation of the WIP electron gun and its physical properties are described. The caculation formula of output parameter is given and preliminary experimental results are presented.