Innovative energy sources and advanced applications: the Los Alamos Intense Neutron Source

Author

Nebel, R.A. ; Cole, A.J. ; Pickrell, M.M. ; Umstadter, K.R.

Author_Institution

Los Alamos Nat. Lab., NM, USA

fYear

1999

fDate

1999

Firstpage

31

Lastpage

34

Abstract

The Intense Neutron Source (INS) is an inertial electrostatic confinement (IEC) fusion device presently under construction at Los Alamos National Laboratory. It is designed to produce 10¹¹ neutrons per second steady-state and will be used for nuclear assay applications. This device is a three grid IEC ion focus device. It is designed to handle 25 kW of power input and is actively cooled. It has a maximum capability of 75 kV with a current of 0.335 A. In this paper we describe the physics principles of operation of this device, the engineering design parameters, and the empirical scaling used to determine the design parameters. Potential applications include waste assay, landmine detection, nonproliferation, and high-explosives detection

Keywords

neutron sources; plasma toroidal confinement; 0.335 A; 25 kW; 75 kV; Intense Neutron Source; empirical scaling; engineering design; high-explosives detection; inertial electrostatic confinement fusion device; landmine detection; nonproliferation; waste assay; Design engineering; Electrostatics; IEC; Inertial confinement; Laboratories; Landmine detection; Neutrons; Physics; Power engineering and energy; Steady-state;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Fusion Engineering, 1999. 18th Symposium on

Conference_Location

Albuquerque, NM

Print_ISBN

0-7803-5829-5

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/FUSION.1999.849786

Filename

849786