POCO graphite radiation damage of Spiral 2 neutron converter assembly

A study of the modifications on the surface and crystalline structure of POCO graphite AXF-5Q1, irradiated with 26 MeV deuteron beam, is presented. The main goal is to evaluate the risk of inducing damages on graphite material due to 200 kW of Spiral 2 primary beam. Graphite has been chosen as neutron converter material for producing 1×1012 neutrons/s/cm2 required for the RIB's production planned in the Spiral 2 facility. Preliminary calculations using ATOCAS code showed a significant number of displacements per atom in graphite due to deuteron beam irradiation, but without considering temperature effects over the material. An experimental approach to evaluate the modifications on graphite was proposed. Material analyses using XRD and scanning of the surface were carried out for evaluating the effects of the exposition of a POCO graphite sample during 1 and 2 weeks to an irradiation with deuteron beam at different currents. The results and future projects are presented.