Impact of the beam pressure on the free surface of the liquid lithium target of fusion neutron sources

Abstract Accelerator-driven fusion neutron sources, e.g. Advanced Fusion Neutron Source (A-FNS) and DEMO Oriented Neutron Source (IFMIF-DONES), are being designed, based on the achievements and lessons learnt from the IFMIF/EVEDA project. The purpose of the study is to analytically evaluate the deformation of the lithium free surface, potentially created by the intense beam injection. We have developed a two-dimensional (2-D) fluid model of the “beam-on” target of an IFMIF-type fusion neutron source by extending the phenomenological 2-D model of the Li target flow of the EVEDA Lithium Test Loop (ELTL). We have derived, from the newly developed model, a practical and analytical formula of the thickness of the “beam-on” target in the flow direction with accounting for the beam injection effect. We have also evaluated the thickness of the beam-on target of A-FNS as an example of application of the derived formula. The evaluation indicates that under the reference design conditions of the accelerator and beam-on Li target of A-FNS, the deformation of the free surface of the target by the beam injection is negligibly small. The analytical results presented here may be used for a benchmark of more complicated CFD simulation for the “beam-on” target design of IFMIF-type fusion neutron sources like A-FNS and IFMIF-DONES.