Sealed-accelerator-tube neutron generators are being developed in Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) for applications ranging from neutron r
adiography to boron neutron capture therapy and neutron activation analysis
. The new generation of high-output neutron generators is based on the D-T
fusion reaction, producing 14.1-MeV neutrons. The main components of the ne
utron tube - the ion source, the accelerator and the target - are all house
d in a sealed metal container without external pumping. Thick-target neutro
n yield computations are performed in this paper to estimate the neutron yi
eld of titanium and scandium targets. With an average deuteron beam current
of 1 A and an energy of 120 keV, a time-averaged neutron production of sim
ilar to 10(14) n/s can be estimated for a tritiated target, for both pulsed
and cw operations. In mixed deuteron/triton beam operation, a beam current
of 2 A at 150 keV is required for the same neutron output. Recent experime
ntal results on ion sources and accelerator columns are presented and discu
ssed. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.