High-Yield Neutron Source for Cargo Container Screening

A high-yield neutron source has been designed for the screening of sea-land cargo containers for shielded special nuclear materials (SNM). The accelerator-driven neutron source utilizes the D(d,n)³He reaction to produce a forward directed neutron beam. The key components of the neutron source are a high-current radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator and a high-power neutron production target. A thin entrance window has been designed that minimizes the energy loss of the deuteron beam and withstands the gas pressure. The source will be capable of delivering a neutron flux of up to 2 middot 10⁷ n/(cm²middots) at a distance of 2.5 m from the target and will allow the comprehensive testing and demonstration of active neutron interrogation.