Characteristics of the neutron flux from a D-Li neutron source

A D-Li neutron source produces a high flux of neutrons which can be used for testing fusion materials. The characteristics exhibited by the neutron flux inside the test assembly volume of a D-Li neutron source irradiation facility is a function of several design options, such as deuteron energy, beam current, beam cross sectional area, and lithium target configuration, among others. The influence of each of these parameters on the overall performance of the machine, in terms of best results for irradiation of materials for fusion applications, can be inferred by scoping their impact on the uncollided neutron flux magnitude and distribution. The first part of this paper describes an analysis performed on the uncollided neutron flux (without material inside the test assembly region) for different beam-target configurations for determining the effect of varying the elements of the configuration on the uncollided neutron flux gradient. The second section deals with the neutron energy spectrum from the D-Li reaction and a brief discussion on {open_quotes}fusion reactor spectrum{close_quotes} is also presented. In the third section results from calculations of the volume with uncollided neutron above a threshold value are presented.