Abstract:
Background Neutron nuclear data are crucial for fundamental research in nuclear physics, providing essential information for nuclear science and engineering applications. Advanced high-current accelerator neutron sources serve as the foundation for nuclear data measurements. The neutron converter target is a key component of such high-current accelerator neutron sources. Under intense particle beam bombardment, the heat dissipation of the neutron converter target is a critical factor limiting the neutron yield and operational stability.
Purpose This study aims to address the insufficient heat dissipation capacity of traditional gas targets by designing a novel dynamic gas target system. By optimizing the structure of the gas target chamber to form an active cooling circulation loop, it seeks to solve the cooling problem within the confined space of the gas target chamber.
Methods First, a conceptual design of the gas target system and chamber structure was conducted. The Target software was then used to analyze the energy straggling of incident ions caused by the metal window and the gas itself. Numerical simulations of the thermal environment inside the gas target chamber were performed. The heat source was dynamically loaded based on gas density by coupling with SRIM calculations of the heating power. The gas flow patterns within the target chamber under different beam currents and inlet velocities were analyzed.
Results The energy straggling calculations show that the contribution from the gas is very small, with the metal window being the primary source of energy straggling for incident ions. The simulation results indicate that as the beam current increases, the heating power rises gradually, while the density in the heated region decreases rapidly. Increasing the inlet flow velocity enhances the heat dissipation capacity and reduces the density drop effect caused by beam heating.
Conclusions The comprehensive performance evaluation demonstrates that this dynamic gas target system can achieve a neutron yield of up to 5.2×1012 n/s at a beam current of 10 mA. The results prove that the novel dynamic gas target system effectively improves heat dissipation performance, contributes to obtaining a higher neutron yield, and ensures operational stability under high-current application scenarios.
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