Nuclear and thermal-hydraulics analysis of spallation window targets

Intense neutron sources based on spallation targets are analysed following a systematic approach, in order to point out the main problems regarding the thermal-hydraulic limits. Those limits pose upper bounds to the neutron yield of the target. In turn, the limits depend on the features of the impinging particle beam and the material composition and geometry of the target. Although the potential design window for spallation targets is rather wide, the analysis presented in this paper identifies specific topics that must properly be covered in the detailed project of a spallation source, in order to avoid unacceptable temperatures and mechanical stresses in the most critical parts of the source.