Neutronic analyses in support of the conceptual design of the DTT tokamak radial neutron camera

Abstract

Abstract The Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility, whose design phase is currently under finalization, is an Italian project aimed to investigate alternative power exhaust solutions for DEMO. It is designed to operate with significant power loads and enough flexibility to test innovative divertor configurations, different plasma edge and bulk conditions approaching, as much as possible, those planned for DEMO. Among the neutron diagnostics, a multi-channel neutron camera, most likely equipped with the liquid scintillators NE213, is foreseen to provide spatially resolved measurements of several plasma parameters needed for fusion power estimation, plasma control and plasma physics studies. This paper presents a preliminary study performed in support of the DTT neutron camera design. A detailed MCNP model representing a 20° sector of the machine integrating its main components and detectors assemblies has been developed and used for this study. Three-dimensional neutron transport simulations have been carried out by means of the MCNP Monte Carlo code coupled with the FENDL nuclear data libraries. The diagnostic design was optimized starting from the assessment of the expected detector performances obtained by using the calculated neutron fluxes and spectra and the NE213 response functions. The outcomes of this analysis provide the detectors requirements and guidelines for the development of the above-mentioned diagnostics, investigating its feasibility and suitability with the neutron emissivity foreseen for the DTT operational scenarios.