Target/Blanket Design for the Accelerator Production of Tritium Plant

Abstract

The Accelerator Production of Tritium Target/Blanket (T/B) system is comprised of an assembly of tritium-producing modules supported by safety, heat removal, shielding, and retargeting systems. The T/B assembly produces tritium using a high-energy proton beam, a tungsten/lead spallation neutron source and 3He gas as the tritium-producing feedstock. The supporting heat removal systems remove the heat deposited by the proton beam during both normal and off-normal conditions. The shielding protects workers from ionizing radiation, and the retargeting systems remove and replace components that have reached their end of life. All systems reside within the T/B building, which is located at the end of a linear accelerator. For the nominal production mode, protons are accelerated to an energy of 1030 MeV at a current of 100 mA and are directed onto the T/B assembly. The protons are expanded to a 0.19- × 1.9-m beam spot before striking a centrally located tungsten neutron source. A surrounding lead blanket produces additional neutrons from scattered high-energy particles. A total of 27 neutrons are produced per incident proton. Tritium is produced by neutron capture in 3He gas that is contained in aluminum tubes throughout the blanket. The 3He/tritium mixture is removed on a semi-continuous basis for purification in an adjacent Tritium Separation Facility. Systems and components are designed with safety as a primary consideration to minimize risk to the workers and the public. Materials and component designs were chosen based on the experiences of operating spallation neutron sources that have been designed and built for the neutron science community. An extensive engineering development and demonstration program provides detailed information for the completion of the design.