Beam plasma 14 MeV neutron source for fusion materials development

The conceptual engineering design and expected performance for a 14-MeV DT neutron source are detailed. The source would provide an intense neutron flux for accelerated testing of fusion reactor materials. The 150-keV neutral beams inject energetic deuterium atoms, which ionize, are trapped, and then react with a warm (200-eV), dense tritium target plasma. This produces a neutron source strength of 3.6×10¹⁷ n/s for a neutron power density at the plasma edge of 5-10 MW/m². This is several times the ~2 MW/m² anticipated at the first wall of fusion reactors. This high flux provides accelerated end-of-life tests of 1- to 2-year duration, thus making materials development possible. The modular design of the source and the facilities are described