Baseline Design of a Low Energy Neutron Source at ESS-Bilbao

Abstract

This article briefly describes the basic design of the ESS-Bilbao neutron target station as well as its expected neutronic performance. The baseline engineering design, associated ancillary systems, and plant layout for the facility is now complete. A rotating target composed of twenty beryllium plates has been selected as the best choice in terms of both neutron yield and engineering complexity. It will provide neutron beams with a source term of 10 15 n s −1 resulting from the direct 9 Be(p, xn) reaction using a 75 mA proton beam at 50 MeV. The design envisages a target station equipped with two fully optimized moderators capable of withstanding a proton-beam power of 112 kW. This design is flexible enough to accommodate future upgrades in final proton energy. The envisaged neutron-beam brightness will enable several applications, including the use of cold and thermal neutrons for condensed matter research as well as fast-neutron irradiation studies. We close by discussing the role that this facility may play once the European Spallation Source becomes operational in Lund, Sweden.

Dynamics & Spectroscopy with Neutrons—Recent Developments & Emerging Opportunities

“…Currently under construction in Lund (Sweden), the European Spallation Source (ESS) seeks to offer order-of-magnitude gains in capability relative to the state-of-the-art, as presented in the recent overview of its forthcoming instrument suite by Andersen et al [ 1 ]. Equally, recent advances towards the design and construction of increasingly more compact neutron sources across the globe are pushing the boundaries of the discipline into entirely uncharted territory [ 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ], as well as it is providing fertile new ground and a plethora of fresh opportunities for further developments, much in the same way as it happened when X-ray sources entered the laboratory some decades ago [ 10 ].…”