High yield neutron generators using the DD reaction

Journal Article · Fri Apr 19 00:00:00 EDT 2013 · AIP Conference Proceedings

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4802303· OSTI ID:22116943

Vainionpaa, J. H.; Harris, J. L.; Piestrup, M. A.; Gary, C. K.; Williams, D. L.; Apodaca, M. D.; Cremer, J. T. ^[1]; Ji, Qing; Ludewigt, B. A. ^[2]; Jones, G. ^[3]

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1. Adelphi technology, 2003 E. Bayshore Rd. 94061, Redwood City, CA (United States)
2. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)
3. G and J Enterprise, 1258 Quary Ln, Suite F, Pleasanton California 94566 (United States)

A product line of high yield neutron generators has been developed at Adelphi technology inc. The generators use the D-D fusion reaction and are driven by an ion beam supplied by a microwave ion source. Yields of up to 5 Multiplication-Sign 10{sup 9} n/s have been achieved, which are comparable to those obtained using the more efficient D-T reaction. The microwave-driven plasma uses the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) to produce a high plasma density for high current and high atomic ion species. These generators have an actively pumped vacuum system that allows operation at reduced pressure in the target chamber, increasing the overall system reliability. Since no radioactive tritium is used, the generators can be easily serviced, and components can be easily replaced, providing essentially an unlimited lifetime. Fast neutron source size can be adjusted by selecting the aperture and target geometries according to customer specifications. Pulsed and continuous operation has been demonstrated. Minimum pulse lengths of 50 {mu}s have been achieved. Since the generators are easily serviceable, they offer a long lifetime neutron generator for laboratories and commercial systems requiring continuous operation. Several of the generators have been enclosed in radiation shielding/moderator structures designed for customer specifications. These generators have been proven to be useful for prompt gamma neutron activation analysis (PGNAA), neutron activation analysis (NAA) and fast neutron radiography. Thus these generators make excellent fast, epithermal and thermal neutron sources for laboratories and industrial applications that require neutrons with safe operation, small footprint, low cost and small regulatory burden.

• OSTI ID: 22116943
• Journal Information: AIP Conference Proceedings, Vol. 1525, Issue 1; Conference: 22. international conference on application of accelerators in research and industry, Ft. Worth, TX (United States), 5-10 Aug 2012; Other Information: (c) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-243X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
DESIGN
ELECTRON CYCLOTRON-RESONANCE
FAST NEUTRONS
ION BEAMS
ION SOURCES
MICROWAVE RADIATION
MODERATORS
NEUTRON ACTIVATION ANALYSIS
NEUTRON GENERATORS
NEUTRON RADIOGRAPHY
NUCLEAR REACTION YIELD
PLASMA DENSITY
RF SYSTEMS
SHIELDING
TARGET CHAMBERS
THERMAL NEUTRONS
VACUUM SYSTEMS