Design, construction, and characterization of a compact DD neutron generator designed for&nbsp;40Ar/39Ar geochronology

Ayllon, Mauricio; Adams, Parker A.; Batchelder, Jon C.; Bauer, Joseph D.; Becker, Tim A.; Bernstein, Lee A.; Chong, Su-Ann; James, Jay; Kirsch, Leo E.; Leung, Ka-Ngo; Matthews, Eric F.; Morrell, Jonathan T.; Renne, Paul R.; Rogers, Andrew M.; Rutte, Daniel; Voyles, Andrew S.; Van Bibber, Karl; Waltz, Cory S.

doi:10.1016/j.nima.2018.04.020

Design, construction, and characterization of a compact DD neutron generator designed for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology

Journal Article · Wed May 02 00:00:00 EDT 2018 · Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2018.04.020· OSTI ID:1481079

Ayllon, Mauricio ^[1]; Adams, Parker A. ^[2]; Batchelder, Jon C. ^[2]; Bauer, Joseph D. ^[3]; Becker, Tim A. ^[4]; Bernstein, Lee A. ^[1]; Chong, Su-Ann ^[5]; James, Jay ^[2]; Kirsch, Leo E. ^[6]; Leung, Ka-Ngo ^[2]; Matthews, Eric F. ^[2]; Morrell, Jonathan T. ^[2]; Renne, Paul R. ^[4]; Rogers, Andrew M. ^[7]; Rutte, Daniel ^[4]; Voyles, Andrew S. ^[1]; Van Bibber, Karl ^[2]; Waltz, Cory S. ^[3]

Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Berkeley Geochronology Center, Berkeley, CA (United States)
Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
Univ. of Massachusetts, Lowell, MA (United States)

A next-generation, high-flux DD neutron generator has been designed, commissioned, and characterized, and is now operational in a new facility at the University of California Berkeley. The generator, originally designed for ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating of geological materials, has since served numerous additional applications, including medical isotope production studies, with others planned for the near future. In this work, we present an overview of the High Flux Neutron Generator (HFNG) which includes a variety of simulations, analytical models, and experimental validation of results. Extensive analysis was performed in order to characterize the neutron yield, flux, and energy distribution at specific locations where samples may be loaded for irradiation. A notable design feature of the HFNG is the possibility for sample irradiation internal to the cathode, just 8 mm away from the neutron production site, thus maximizing the neutron flux (n/cm²/s). The generator’s maximum neutron flux at this irradiation position is 2.58 x 10⁷ n/cm²/s ± 5% (approximately 3 x 10⁸ n/s total yield) as measured via activation of small natural indium foils. However, future development is aimed at achieving an order of magnitude increase in flux. Additionally, the deuterium ion beam optics were optimized by simulations for various extraction configurations in order to achieve a uniform neutron flux distribution and an acceptable heat load. Finally, experiments were performed in order to benchmark the modeling and characterization of the HFNG.

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE; USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Nuclear Physics (NP) (SC-26)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231; AC52-07NA27344

OSTI ID:: 1481079

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1701826
OSTI ID: 1528902
OSTI ID: 23122955

Report Number(s):: LLNL--JRNL-748524; 932766

Journal Information:: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Journal Name: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research. Section A, Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment Journal Issue: C Vol. 903; ISSN 0168-9002

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Design, construction, and characterization of a compact DD neutron generator designed for 40Ar/39Ar geochronology

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