Investigation of the thermal performance of solid targets for radioisotope production

The large-scale production of various radioisotopes is often carried out with a target system in which solid target material is plated onto a water-cooled backing. A detailed thermal analysis of such a solid target system under different bombardment conditions was made by means of a finite element analysis program. Results of a parameter study are presented and are discussed with the objective of maximizing the beam current limit of the solid target design employed at TRIUMF. Predicted surface temperatures are also compared with direct measurements.