Speaker
Description
In late 80s-early 90s, two projects of accelerator-based 14-MeV neutron sources were conceived at the ENEA Research Center of Frascati, i.e., the Frascati Neutron Generator (FNG) and SORGENTINA, in response to specific needs of the scientific community involved in Controlled Thermonuclear Fusion. FNG (neutron strength up to 1.5x1011 s-1) was mainly to support the development and benchmark of neutronics codes, methods and cross-sections relevant for the nuclear analysis of fusion machines, while SORGENTINA (neutron strength up to 7x1015 s-1) was to support studies on damage and property variation of fusion materials under higher neutron fluence.
FNG was then built and has operated for over thirty years in support of primary fusion neutronics experiments, while the SORGENTINA project has been reconsidered only in recent years at a smaller scale, i.e., 1014 s-1 (a.k.a. SORGENTINA-RF). SORGENTINA-RF is a 250 kW neutron source at his first stage of development and mainly funded to demonstrate the production of radio-tracers for medical diagnostics. This stage foresees the construction of the ion source and accelerator column and the rotating target where fusion reactions occur. In the ion source, a mixed positive ion beam of D+ and T+ (833 mA in total at the target, half of each) is produced in the RF plasma chamber of the ion source equipped with an antenna (in combination with a DC solenoidal magnetic to improve significantly the ion production), then extracted and accelerated up to 50 keV by a 4-electrode multi-aperture extraction system and then to 300 keV in the accelerating column. The present work aims at illustrating the machine performance and the recent commissioning and tests in hydrogen with a proper ion beam dump at the ENEA Research Center of Brasimone. Criticalities and next steps toward the nuclear phase of the machine are highlighted as well.
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