High-Power Proton Linac for APT; Status of Design and Development

In one of two options being considered for a new source of tritium, the US Department of Energy (DOE) is planning an Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) plant [1] that would be built at its Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The facility will employ a high power linear accelerator to produce neutrons by spallation reactions of protons in tungsten and lead contained in a target/blanket (T/B) assembly. The fast neutrons produced in the target are moderated in the light water that cools the blanket elements, and then captured by He gas to produce tritium. The tritium is separated from the He by permeation through a palladium membrane, with cryogenic distillation used for isotopic purification. The APT design is based on a 1700-MeV proton linac operated at 100 mA CW. However, changing tritium requirements may reduce the energy to 1030 MeV, so the plant has been designed in a modular