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At least 199 records · Page 11

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DOE OSTI2022

The Generalized Spallation Model

The Generalized Spallation Model (GSM) event generator is an advanced, robust, and scalable Fortran code developed from an extended and improved version of the earlier event generator codes CEM03.03 and LAQGSM03.03. The GSM implements its algorithms within the context of cascade exciton, particle equilibration, particle evaporation, and particle disintegration models sampled via Monte-Carlo techniques. Coalescence of particles is also considered. The GSM assumes the incident particles has sufficient energy to satisfy the assumptions utilized in the GSM. The GSM calculates reactions induced by hadrons and nuclei incident on nuclear targets at incident energies ranging from ~20 MeV up to several TeV per nucleon. Usage of GSM is recommended however for particles with incident energies exceeding ~100 MeV to ensure model-assumptions are satisfied. The GSM additionally provides its clients with sub-model libraries to allow them to model desired physics within their own physical models.

Juneau, Chase↗

DOE OSTI2025

New machine protection system at the Spallation Neutron Source – design process and performance analysis

A New Machine Protection System (MPS) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) was developed and implemented on µTCA-based hardware platforms. The system monitors more than 2500 field inputs and shuts off the beam within 10 µs if adverse events occur. We will present system level design process of various firmware and software components as well as the system integration into EPICS environment. The performance analysis of the MPS after two SNS run cycles will also be presented.

Bobrek, Miljko [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000332763451)↗

DOE OSTI2025

Architecture of the personnel protection systems for Spallation Neutron Source Second Target Station

The Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is implementing a major upgrade to the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) facility, encompassing the addition of the Second Target Station (STS). Preliminary design reviews have been conducted on several STS Personnel Protection Systems (PPS). The reviews focused primarily on the integration with the existing SNS PPS, the new proton transport tunnel, and the target areas. Development of the PPS is ongoing, to ensure a coherent safety system with the mission of protecting users and workers from prompt radiation hazards while providing high beam availability to operations. The STS PPS element in the Integrated Control System (ICS) is a facility-wide system composed of multiple safety subsystems, including the Ring to Second Target (RTST) beam transport tunnel, Target, Bunker and Instruments. Personnel working in all these geographic areas are protected by modular reliable PPS solutions. The safety system enforces access controls, radiation monitoring, beam destination control, and application of critical device inhibit upon detection of abnormal condition. It uses well-documented processes, Common Industrial Protocol (CIP) safety, pulsed test, and redundancy to achieve the desired Safety Integrity Level (SIL). This paper gives an architectural overview of the STS PPS and a detailed safety plan for the SNS facility, addressing safety solutions and human factors.

Michaelides, Tommy [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000190499869)↗

DOE OSTI2025

Proton pulse charge calculation algorithm in Beam Power Limiting System at Spallation Neutron Source

A proton pulse charge calculation algorithm in the Beam Power Limiting System (BPLS) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) was developed and implemented in an FPGA. The algorithm calculates one-minute running average of the pulse charges and issues a fault to the Personal Protection System (PPS) and the Machine Protection System (MPS) when a limit is reached. A bit-accurate model of the algorithm was first developed and tested in Matlab® and then implemented and simulated in VHDL using Vivado® design environment. Finally, the algorithm was verified on a µTCA-based hardware platform.

Bobrek, Miljko [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000332763451)↗

DOE OSTI2021

Evolution of the high-power spallation neutron mercury target at the SNS

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) began operation in 2006 and first operated at its full 1.4 MW power in 2013. Targets, which receive the pulsed proton beam, were a limiting factor for reliable full power operation for several years. Reaching reliable target operation at 1.4 MW required not only changes to the target design but also support and coordination across the entire SNS enterprise. The history and some key lessons learned are presented.

Winder, Drew E↗

DOE OSTI2024

Measurement and modeling of beam transport in the FODO line of the Spallation Neutron Source Beam Test Facility

Ongoing studies at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Beam Test Facility (BTF) seek to understand and model bunch dynamics in a high-power LINAC front-end. The BTF has recently been upgraded with a reconfiguration from a U-shaped line to a Straight line. We report the current state of model benchmarking, with a focus on RMS beam sizes within the FODO line. The beam measurement is obtained via three camera/screen pairs in the FODO line. This presentation discusses the methodology and results of this measurement.

Thompson, Trent↗

DOE OSTI2026

Python-EPICS RF Conditioning Automatic Control System at the Spallation Neutron Source

The RF Test Facility (RFTF) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is used for the conditioning of RF compo-nents such as ceramic vacuum windows and power cou-plers prior to their installation in the H- ion linear accel-erator. This process exposes components to high-power RF fields and thermal cycling to improve performance and remove surface impurities. To automate and optimize this process, a Python-based EPICS control system was developed alongside targeted hardware upgrades. The system enables real-time monitoring and control of RF power levels, temperature, and vacuum pressure. A user-friendly graphical interface was implemented using CS-Studio (Phoebus), allowing operators to adjust parameters and collect data efficiently. The system integrates a High-Power Protection Module (HPM) for interlocks based on vacuum and arc detection, ensuring safe operation. These upgrades have significantly improved the efficiency, accuracy, and safety of RF conditioning at the SNS RFTF. This paper describes the updated RF conditioning sys-tem, highlighting the software and hardware develop-ments and their application in support of the Proton Pow-er Upgrade (PPU) project.

Lee, Sung-Woo [ORNL] (ORCID:000000030915835X)↗

DOE OSTI2022

Progress on the Proton Power Upgrade Project at the Spallation Neutron Source

The Proton Power Upgrade Project at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will increase the proton beam power capability from 1.4 to 2.8 MW. Upon completion of the project, 2 MW of beam power will be available for neutron production at the existing first target station with the remaining beam power available for the future second target station. The project will install seven superconducting RF cryomodules and supporting RF power systems and ancillaries to increase the beam energy to 1.3 GeV . The injection and extraction region of the accumulator ring will be upgraded, and a new 2 MW mercury target has been developed along with supporting equipment for high-flow gas injection to mitigate cavitation and fatigue stress. Equipment is being received from vendors and partner laboratories, and installation is underway with three major installation outages planned in 2022-2024. The project is planned to be completed in 2025.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2025

Physics Considerations for a Harp System Design at the Second Target Station of the Spallation Neutron Source

A harp system is being developed for monitoring proton beam profile direct upstream of the proton beam window at the Second Target Station of the Spallation Neutron Source, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. It consists of two sensor planes which have arrays of thin conducting wires aligned vertically and horizontally, respectively. It monitors beam profiles in two transverse directions to the beam axis by measuring the net-charge depositions in the sensor wires, which are caused by ejection of secondary electrons and delta rays driven by electromagnetic interactions with high energy protons. The net charge deposition in a sensing wire linearly correlates with the number of incident protons on it. This correlation is perturbed when the wire interacts with secondary electrons and delta rays originating from beam matter interactions in neighboring wires, PBW and residual gases. In this paper, we analyze the physical phenomena that affects the measurement uncertainties of the harp using particle transport simulations.

Lee, Yong Joong [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000298381723)↗

DOE OSTI2025

Radioisotope production at the Spallation Neutron Source: Design concept of experimental target station

Completion of the Proton Power Upgrade Project for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accelerator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory opens an opportunity to utilize reserve beam power of more than 100 kW for applications beyond neutron production. One of these applications is the production of critical radionuclides. To demonstrate the feasibility of using the reserve beam power to produce radioisotope at SNS, a design concept of a small-scale experimental target station in the Linac Dump area has been developed. This experimental facility will provide isotope yield benchmarking data using protons in the GeV range. It will also enable additional research and development in isotope handling and radiochemical separation. The target station consists of a target module enclosed in a vessel and concrete shielding. Particle transport calculations and thermo-mechanical simulations are used to determine beam parameters, decay time, isotope yield, shielding dimensions, and target design parameters. Calculations verified that the irradiated capsule can be handled manually using hands-off tools and transported to a hot cell in a shielded container for post-irradiation characterizations.

Lee, Yong Joong [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000298381723)↗

DOE OSTI2025

Radioisotope production at the Spallation Neutron Source: Design concept of isotope production target

Upon completion of the Second Target Station (STS) Project in the mid 2030s, the Spallation Neutron Source accelerator at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will deliver a 2.7 MW proton beam to the neutron production targets. In the post-STS phase, the accelerator will have a reserve beam power capacity of at least 100 kW beyond what the two neutron production targets will receive, which could potentially be ramped up to 300 kW. In this paper, a design concept for a radioisotope production target that could utilize 250 kW of the reserve beam power capacity is presented. The target consists of thorium discs encapsulated in 316L austenitic steel shells that are cooled by water. The estimated post-irradiation activity of Ac-225 and Ra-225, critical medical radioisotopes used in targeted alpha therapy cancer treatment, is calculated at the end of bombardment after a 14 day long irradiation time. Thermal and structural analyses are performed on the basis of calculated nuclear heating data. The technical feasibility of a high-power target under a 250-kW beam load with an extremely low duty factor of $3.5\cdot 10^{-6}$ is presented from thermal, structural and fatigue lifetime perspectives.

Lee, Yong Joong [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000298381723)↗

DOE OSTI2012

Preliminary Results of Investigating Precompound Emission of Light Fragments in Spallation Reactions, Summer 2012

Emission of light fragments (LF) from nuclear reactions is an open question. Different reaction mechanisms contribute to their production; the relative roles of each, and how they change with incident energy, mass number of the target, and the type and emission energy of the fragments is not completely understood. None of the available models are able to accurately predict emission of LF from arbitrary reactions. However, the ability to describe production of LF (especially at energies & 30 MeV) from many reactions is important for different applications, such as cosmic-ray induced Single Event Upsets (SEUs), radiation protection, and cancer therapy with proton and heavy-ion beams, to name just a few. The Cascade-Exciton Model (CEM), version 03.03 and the Los Alamos version of the Quark-Gluon String Model (LAQGSM), version 03.03 event generators in Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code version 6 (MCNP6), describe quite well the spectra of fragments with sizes up to 4 He across a broad range of target masses and incident energies (up to ∼ 5 GeV for CEM and up to ∼ 1 TeV/A for LAQGSM). However, they do not predict the high-energy tails of LF spectra heavier than 4 He well. Most LF with energies above several tens of MeV are emitted during the precompound stage of a reaction. The current versions of the CEM and LAQGSM event generators do not account for precompound emission of LF larger than 4 He. The aim of our work is to extend the precompound model to include such processes, leading to an increase of predictive power of LF-production in MCNP6. This entails upgrading the Modified Exciton Model currently used at the preequilibrium stage in CEM and LAQGSM. It will also include examination and extension of the coalescence and Fermi break-up models used in the precompound stages of spallation reactions within CEM and LAQGSM. Extending our models to include emission of fragments heavier than 4 He at the precompound stage has already provided preliminary results that have much better agreement with experimental data.

Atomic and Nuclear Physics↗

DOE OSTI2015

Mitigation and Prediction of Spallation of Oxide Scales on Ferritic Stainless Steel

This report summarizes results from experimental and modeling studies performed by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on behalf of the Solid-State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA) Core Technology Program. The results indicate that application of physical surface modifications, such as surface blasting, prior to application of protective surface coatings can substantially increase oxide scale spallation resistance during long-term exposure to elevated temperatures (e.g., 800-850ºC). To better understand and predict the benefits of surface modification, an integrated modeling framework was developed and applied to the obtained experimental results.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2015

Precompound Emission of Energetic Light Fragments in Spallation Reactions [Dissertation]

Emission of light fragments (LF) from nuclear reactions is an open question. Different reaction mechanisms contribute to their production; the relative roles of each, and how they change with incident energy, mass number of the target, and the type and emission energy of the fragments is not completely understood. None of the available models are able to accurately predict emission of LF from arbitrary reactions. However, the ability to describe production of LF (especially at energies ≳ 30 MeV) from many reactions is important for different applications, such as cosmic-ray-induced Single Event Upsets (SEUs), radiation protection, and cancer therapy with proton and heavy-ion beams, to name just a few. The Cascade-Exciton Model (CEM) version 03.03 and the Los Alamos version of the Quark-Gluon String Model (LAQGSM) version 03.03 event generators in Monte Carlo N-Particle Transport Code version 6 (MCNP6) describe quite well the spectra of fragments with sizes up to 4 He across a broad range of target masses and incident energies (up to ~ 5 GeV for CEM and up to ~ 1 TeV/A for LAQGSM). However, they do not predict the high energy tails of LF spectra heavier than 4 He well. Most LF with energies above several tens of MeV are emitted during the precompound stage of a reaction. The current versions of the CEM and LAQGSM event generators do not account for precompound emission of LF larger than 4 He. The aim of our work is to extend the precompound model in them to include such processes, leading to an increase of predictive power of LF-production in MCNP6. This entails upgrading the Modified Exciton Model currently used at the preequilibrium stage in CEM and LAQGSM. It also includes expansion and examination of the coalescence and Fermi break-up models used in the precompound stages of spallation reactions within CEM and LAQGSM. Extending our models to include emission of fragments heavier than 4 He at the precompound stage has indeed provided results that have much better agreement with experimental data.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2015

The Spallation Neutron Source Beam Commissioning and Initial Operations

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) accelerator delivers a one mega-Watt beam to a mercury target to produce neutrons used for neutron scattering materials research. It delivers ~ 1 GeV protons in short (< 1 us) pulses at 60 Hz. At an average power of ~ one mega-Watt, it is the highest-powered pulsed proton accelerator. The accelerator includes the first use of superconducting RF acceleration for a pulsed protons at this energy. The storage ring used to create the short time structure has record peak particle per pulse intensity. Beam commissioning took place in a staged manner during the construction phase of SNS. After the construction, neutron production operations began within a few months, and one mega-Watt operation was achieved within three years. The methods used to commission the beam and the experiences during initial operation are discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

DOE OSTI2018

Residual Stress Measurements of Front Window Welds in a Prototypical Spallation Neutron Source Target Module

Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) target modules are fabricated from 316L stainless steel by welding together sections of machined components using electron beam welding. The failure of the tenth operational SNS target (Target 10) at an electron beam weld prompted an investigation into the residual stress remaining in the weld joint after joining to determine if welding procedures for SNS target fabrication produce detrimental residual stresses in or near the welds. Due to an issue with fabrication, the front section of an SNS target was removed from fabrication and made available for residual stress measurements. The residual stresses in an electron beam weld joining the front window and front body of the target prototype was measured at several locations near EBW2 weld between outer window and front body using the VUCLAN instrument. Different stress free d hkl 0 methods were used to calculated the residual strain and residual stress. Furthermore, the results show tensile residual stress up to 350MPa along the weld direction which peaked at weld location.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

DOE OSTI2019

First Experiments: New Science Opportunities at the Spallation Neutron Source Second Target Station

Leadership in materials science underpins future technologies in energy, security, and other applications that drive this nation’s economy. Neutron scattering is among the crucial characterization techniques necessary to ensure a world-leading position in materials science for the United States. The Second Target Station (STS) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) will provide transformative new capabilities for the study of a broad range of materials using neutron scattering and will support users in many fields of research—materials science, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, and engineering, among others—and from academia, government laboratories, and industry.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2022

Building Initial Dynamic System Models for Digital Twins of the Cryogenic Moderator System at the ORNL Spallation Neutron Source

This work describes the initial development of dynamic system models of the cryogenic moderator system (CMS) of the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at ORNL as a part of the ORNL LDRD funded project Building TRANSFORM to Accelerate Digital Twin Applications for Nuclear Systems, LOIS 10563. The goal of the work is to start the dynamic system modeling effort with the end goal of using them for real-time applications as digital twins. The CMS is a cryogenic liquid hydrogen flow loop that provides moderation of the neutrons that are generated by the SNS. For optimal neutron production, the CMS needs to maintain a steady and controlled density of cryogenic hydrogen in the moderator section thus requiring precise temperature and pressure control. Due to the varied time scales and system characteristics, control of the system is complex, and diagnostics are also difficult. Difficulty in accessing the flow loop during operations, limited instrumentation and unknown design details of the equipment combine to make the case for having sophisticated digital twin models of the system. Operationally the CMS also provides a strong use case for digital twins due to the constant need of optimization and for troubleshooting/diagnostics. The large amount of data collected which are freely available for using in building the model and verifying and validating the model also makes it a great candidate for a proof-of-concept for digital twins. The project extends ORNL's capacity of development and implementation of the open-source dynamic system modeling tool TRANSFORM for engineering design and digital twin/real-time applications. Specific system configuration data for the CMS have been gathered and an initial dynamic model was created in the TRANSFORM library using Dymola as the solution platform. Models of increasing complexity are created to demonstrate the need for a multi-layered approach in digital twin modeling depending on the scale and phenomena being focused on. The dynamic modeling is shown to bring the dynamic operational aspects to the design process for systems as well as serve as a digital twin to the hardware and allow for models to be tuned and compared against real time operational data. These aims should help to push forward strategic goals of application of digital twins and increase the impact of ORNL systems modeling capabilities with TRANSFORM/Modelica for various advanced energy systems.

42 ENGINEERING↗