Neutronics of a D-Li neutron source. An overview

The importance of having a high energy (14 MeV) neutron source for fusion materials testing is widely recognized. The availability of a test volume with easy accessibility, with a radiation environment similar to the one expected for a fusion reactor, and with dimensions large enough to accommodate several small samples or a small blanket mock-up are requirements impossible to meet with the existing reactors and irradiation facilities. A D-Li neutron source meets the above mentioned requirements and can be built today with well known technology. This paper describes some relevant topics related to beam target configuration, neutron flux spectrum, and nuclear responses for a D-Li neutron source. The target-beam configuration is analyzed for different beam cross-sectional areas and trade-offs between the area of the beam and related quantities such as available volume for testing, peak fluxes, and flux or nuclear responses gradient are presented. The conclusion is that the D-Li neutron source has the necessary characteristics to be the option of choice for IFMIF.