Mechanical design of target holder for irradiation damage experiment at high power

High energy ion beams from cyclotron are used for emulating radiation damage in materials. High beam currents help in achieving the required dose and damage (in terms of dpa) in short duration. However, with high beam current, the total power deposited in the samples will be large. Thus, suitable design of the target holder with associated cooling facility is of utmost importance to carry out these experiments successfully. Detailed experimental work supplemented with analytical work has been carried out with a systematic approach to finalize the design of target holder to be used for irradiation experiment. •Cyclotrons are used as tool for irradiation damage experiment on materials.•We carried analytical and FEA thermal design of sample (irradiation target) holder up to 500 W beam power.•Experimental work with equivalent heating is carried out on prototype model to validate the design.•Further improvement on design (incorporation of fins) is suggested to make it operational beyond 500 W.