Monte Carlo simulation of molecular flow in a neutral beam injector and comparison with experiment

Abstract

Monte Carlo calculations have been performed to obtain estimates of the background gas pressure and molecular number density as a function of position in the PDX-prototype neutral beam injector, which has undergone testing at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Estimates of these quantities together with the transient and steady-state energy deposition and molecular capture rates on the cryopanels of the cryocondensation pumps and the molecular escape rate from the injector were obtained utilizing a detailed geometric model of the neutral beam injector. The molecular flow calculations were performed using an existing Monte Carlo radiation transport code, which was modified slightly to monitor the energy of the background gas molecules. The credibility of these calculations is demonstrated by the excellent agreement between the calculated and experimentally measured background gas pressure in front of the beamline calorimeter located in the downstream drift region of the injector. The usefulness of the calculational method as a design tool is illustrated by a comparison of the integrated beamline molecular density over the drift region of the injector for three modes of cryopump operation.