Neutronic analysis for the IFMIF EVEDA reference test cell and test facility

•A reference neutronic model for IFMIF test cell was developed in the EVEDA phase.•The necessary biological shielding thickness was assessed.•The present analysis revealed that all in-cell components must be actively cooled.•The higher helium production expected in the test cell liner is critical. The IFMIF test cell (TC) design has been further developed and optimized in the EVEDA phase, and finally the reference TC design has been proposed. In order to carry out the detailed neutronic analysis for the reference TC design, a very detailed geometrical model for Monte Carlo neutronic calculations has been prepared directly from engineering CAD data by utilizing the McCad conversion software developed at KIT. The geometrical model includes the detailed descriptions of the lithium target system proposed by Japan, all test modules based on the EVEDA phase design, and the 3-dimesional arrangement of the biological shielding. The Monte Carlo code McDeLicious, which is an enhancement to MCNP5, has been utilized in order to adequately simulate the neutron and photon productions from the 6,7Li(d,xn) reactions in the lithium target. The present analysis is focusing on the nuclear heating distribution inside the biological shielding, the nuclear property of the TC liner, and the biological dose distribution around TC during operation. Some countermeasures for reducing the He production in the liner are discussed.