Thermal hydraulic study of the neutron production target at the Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center

The Los Alamos Neutron Scattering Center (LANSCE) operates a pulsed neutron source for materials science research. The neutrons are produced by bombarding a tungsten target with the 800 MeV proton beam from the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF). In an attempt to clarify the thermal hydraulics of the neutron production target, we performed a sequence of experiments aimed at determining temperature distributions in the target, as well as various heat transfer parameters. The results of these measurements were compared, and shown to agree, with radiation transport and heat transfer calculations. The information obtained from these tests was then used to determine other target properties, such as thermal stress, that are very difficult to measure directly.