HAEFELY NEUTRON GENERATOR CHARACTERIZATION FROM NEUTRONIC CONSIDERATIONS AND COMPARISON WITH CALCULATIONS

It is important to know the neutron yield, the spatial distribution, a nd the spectra emitted from a generator when performing any quantitati ve measurements. An extremely intense (d, t)-driven neutron generator is used in the LOTUS fusion blanket program. The planned measurements include integral tritium and U-233 breeding as well as heat deposition rate studies in blankets representative of fusion reactor blankets. Q uantitative estimates of these integral parameters demand precise dete rmination of the characteristics of the neutron generator. Extensive f oil activation measurements have been carried out to determine the rea ction rate distribution and the neutron yield by a proposed method. A comparison between the calculated and measured reaction rates and the distribution confirm the adequacy of the cross-section sets and the ge ometry description of the complete experimental arrangement.