Installation, commissioning and testing of a low energy accelerator based 14-MeV neutron generator for lab scale fusion neutronics experiment

The Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) in India has established an accelerator-based D-T neutron generator facility, achieving a neutron yield of 5 × 10¹² ns⁻¹. In this device, neutrons are generated through the nuclear reaction ³H(D, n)⁴He, where accelerated deuterium ions D+ bombard on a solid tritium (TiT, T/Ti ≥ 1.5) target at energies up to 300 keV using an electrostatic accelerator. The main subsystems of the D-T neutron generator include an Electron Cyclotron Resonance Ion Source (ECRIS), a High Voltage (HV) deck, a Low Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) system, an acceleration column, a Medium Energy Beam Transport (MEBT) system, a 300 kV High Voltage Power Supply (HVPS), a rotating tritium target and Tritium Handling and Recovery System (THRS). The LEBT system transports the deuterium ion beam from the ECRIS to the acceleration system, while the MEBT system carries the accelerated deuterium beam to bombard the tritium target, producing 14-MeV neutrons. All subsystems of the neutron generator have been installed, commissioned, and tested according to their design parameters. The deuterium ion beam has been produced and its parameters, such as beam current, beam diameter, and beam emittance, have been measured under various conditions, including different levels of microwave power, gas pressure, extraction voltage, and solenoid current. The neutron generator has been tested for continuous operation, achieving an average neutron yield of 1.2 × 10¹² ns⁻¹. This paper provides a detailed description of the experimental setup, including installation, commissioning, and testing of all subsystems, as well as the measurement results for the deuterium ion beam parameters and neutron yield during commissioning and testing. This facility provides the benefits of high mono-energetic neutron flux within a single setup. Its versatility enables a wide range of research applications, especially in lab scale fusion neutronics experiments, including nuclear cross-section measurements, electronics and sensor testing, Test Blanket Module (TBM) mock-up experiments, nuclear science, and space technology.