Comparison of Slow-Neutron Intensities in Pulsed Spallation Neutron Sources with Various Proton Energies 0.8–3 GeV

Abstract

The choice of the proton energy for an intense pulsed spallation neutron source is one of the most important topics in recent years. A high proton energy, but with a modest beam current, is more acceptable from an accelerator point of view. We calculated the slow-neutron intensities from a reference target-moderator-reflector assembly for various proton energies over the range 0.8–3 GeV. The result shows that the slow-neutron intensity per unit proton beam power slightly decreases with proton energy: even at 3 GeV the intensity is about 80% of the 0.8 GeV case. A higher proton energy is also acceptable from a neutronic point of view.