Ponente
Descripción
For neutron experiment planning inside the DONES Complementary Experiments Room 160 (CER R160), it is necessary to estimate the variability of the CER R160 neutron source, which is formed by neutrons collimated through the Neutron Beam Tube and Shutter (NBT&S). In the Third DONES Users Workshop 1, we demonstrated the neutron source's dependence on the number and design of the irradiation test modules installed inside the Test Cell (TC). We considered the HFTM and two types of MFTM (BLUME and ICBIM) with the objective of minimizing the impact of the TC modules on neutrons entering the CER R160. In this work, we formulate the concept of neutron source synergy, which amplifies the usability of DONES through the effective distribution of neutrons among several irradiation modules and experiments located in both the TC and the CER. For this Workshop, we provide the results of a study on neutron flux growth at the CER entrance resulting from an increased NBT&S aperture diameter. Additionally, we analyzed modifications to the NBT&S neutron beam-line orientation for extended DONES operation at 250 mA with two accelerators running. The results of these feasibility studies for neutron beam redirection and tube diameter optimization are critical to discuss with potential users setting up neutron experiments in the CER.
The effect of neutron flux growth due to a larger tube diameter depends heavily on the size of the prospective experiments in the CER. The performed parametric analysis showed a quadratic dependence of the total neutron flux on the tube aperture size for a detector with a 30 cm diameter (D30) at the CER entrance. For this fixed-size D30 detector, doubling the tube diameter from D15 to D30 resulted in a 4.44-fold increase in the total neutron flux, while a square root of 2 (1.414) diameter increase from D15 to D21 yielded a 2.01-fold increase. The diameter D21 was chosen because 1.414×15≈21.2. Conversely, if the CER detector is smaller and scaled to match the collimated tube diameter, the neutron flux dependence on the tube diameter is weaker: increasing from D15 to D30 yields only a 1.25-fold flux increase, and an increase from D15 to D21 yields just a 1.13-fold increase. To finalize the engineering implementation of the NBT&S design, feedback from potential users planning neutron experiments in the CER is highly valuable.
References:
1 A. Serikov et al., “Updates on the BLUME and TRTM OIMs impact on the collimated neutrons entering Complementary Experiments Room R160 at DONES”, Third DONES Users Workshop, Zagreb, Croatia, October 1-2, 2024, https://indico.ifmif-dones.es/event/29/contributions/793/