Ponentes
Descripción
In the recent years, various neutron research reactors have closed, reducing the access of scientists to neutron facilities to perform neutron scattering experiments in Europe. The Institut Laue-Langevin, the world leading reactor of its kind, key for the neutron scattering community is also expected to close by the end of this decade. The European Spallation Source (ESS) should start operating in 2025 and be fully operational by 2028, though its capacity will not cover the space left by the closed facilities [1]. For this reason, there is currently an effort to develop new Compact Accelerator-driven Neutron Sources (CANS).
The International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility - Demo Oriented NEutron Source (IFMIF-DONES) is a single-sited novel Research Infrastructure for testing, validation and qualification of the materials to be used in a fusion reactor. IFMIF-DONES was declared ESFRI facility (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) and its European host city would be Granada (Spain) [2]. IFMIF-DONES will be based on the neutron production by means of high current 40 MeV deuteron beam impacting on a Lithium jet target. The neutrons produced will be similar to the neutrons in the future DEMO fusion reactor [3].
Besides the primary goal of IFMIF-DONES related to the evaluation and selection of materials for fusion technology, the unprecedented neutron flux available could be exploited without modifying the routine operation of DONES. To this aim, there is a planned experimental hall for other applications next to the Test Cell, that is surrounded by large shielding walls. The experimental hall would profit from the high neutron flux by means of a duct connecting it to the Test Cell, where the materials for fusion will be irradiated as it is located in front of the neutron source.
One of the possible complementary applications at IFMIF-DONES is neutron scattering experiments. These techniques use neutrons as a probe matter and its properties, ranging from solid state, crystalline structures and magnetic materials to polymers and more complex biological compounds as proteins or even viruses. Different types of instruments allow to study the structure and dynamics of materials in a very broad range of lengths and time scales. The settling of a suite of neutron scattering instruments at IFMIF-DONES will contribute to ease this current and future demand of neutron facilities for the multidisciplinary field of users of the neutron scattering techniques.
In this work, we will present the preliminary results of moderating systems and possibilities to develop a set of neutron scattering instruments. This will be done for the experimental hall for other applications taking advantage of the neutron flux from the Test Cell through the duct. Also some investigations on the separate neutron production using a new deuteron line, that could profit from a different beam time structure. We will compare with the instruments at current and near-future facilities as ILL and ESS.
References:
[1] ESFRI Physical Sciences and Engineering Strategy Working Group - Neutron
Landscape Group, Neutron scattering facilities in Europe: Present status and future perspectives (2016) https://europeanspallationsource.se/sites/default/files/files/document/2017-09/NGL_CombinedReport_230816_Complete%20document_0209-1.pdf
[2] http://www.roadmap2018.esfri.eu/projects-and-landmarks/browse-the-catalogue/ifmif-dones/.
[3] W. Królas et al., The IFMIF-DONES fusion oriented neutron source : evolution of the design, Nucl. Fusion (2021) https://doi.org/10.1088/1741-4326/ac318f.
