Rotating Water-Cooled Beryllium Target for a Compact Neutron Source

With the declining number of neutron sources in the world and the decommissioning of research reactors, there is a growing interest in developing compact neutron sources. The DARIA project involves the use of a proton beam accelerated to an energy of 13 MeV, which creates a neutron beam through the ( p , n ) nuclear reaction with a beryllium target. The reaction yield is 3 neutrons per 1000 protons, releasing most of the proton-beam energy as heat in the target, which can cause its destruction if sufficient heat removal is not provided. To address this issue, we develop a rotating water-cooled beryllium target system capable of efficiently removing heat from the target’s inner (water facing) surface. We conduct numerical calculations to determine the coolant rate and pressure limits, as well as the corresponding flows leading to target destruction. Thermodynamic calculations make it possible to estimate the system’s average temperature and peak local temperatures due to high-energy pulses.