Mercury Cavitation Phenomenon in Pulsed Spallation Neutron Sources

Journal Article · Tue Jun 24 04:00:00 EDT 2008 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2956185· OSTI ID:21148817

Futakawa, Masatoshi; Naoe, Takashi ^[1]; Kawai, Masayoshi ^[2]

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1. Japan Atomic Energy Agency Tokai-mura, Naka-gun, Ibaraki-ken, 319-1195 (Japan)
2. KEK Tsukuba-shi, Ibaraki-ken, 305-0801 (Japan)

Innovative researches will be performed at Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility in J-PARC, in which a mercury target system will be installed as MW-class pulse spallation neutron sources. Proton beams will be injected into mercury target to induce the spallation reaction. At the moment the intense proton beam hits the target, pressure waves are generated in the mercury because of the abrupt heat deposition. The pressure waves interact with the target vessel leading to negative pressure that may cause cavitation along the vessel wall. Localized impacts by micro-jets and/or shock waves which are caused by cavitation bubble collapse impose pitting damage on the vessel wall. The pitting damage which degrades the structural integrity of target vessels is a crucial issue for high power mercury targets. Micro-gas-bubbles injection into mercury may be useful to mitigate the pressure wave and the pitting damage. The visualization of cavitation-bubble and gas-bubble collapse behaviors was carried out by using a high-speed video camera. The differences between them are recognized.

• OSTI ID: 21148817
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 1022; ISSN APCPCS; ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ACOUSTICS
BUBBLES
CONTAINERS
HEAT TRANSFER
J-PARC
MERCURY
NEUTRON SOURCES
NONLINEAR PROBLEMS
PROTON BEAMS
PROTON REACTIONS
PULSES
SHOCK WAVES
SPALLATION
TELEVISION CAMERAS
VELOCITY