Absolute neutron emission estimate on MAST Upgrade based on activation foil measurements

MacLean, Craig; Cecconello, Marco; Allan, Scott; Grove, Callum; Worrall, Ross; Lennon, Kimberley; the MAST Upgrade Team; the EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation Team

Abstract

Determination of the absolute neutron rate production in any fusion device and in particular for ITER and future power plants is essential for their operation and for the optimization of the fusion power. A common calibration approach is to use well characterized neutron sources placed inside the vacuum vessel combined with Monte Carlo simulations. This method is fraught with several difficulties both from an engineering and data modeling and interpretation point of view. This is particularly true for future fusion power plants. This work demonstrates an alternative approach to the absolute calibration of the neutron rate based on activation foil measurements combined with forward modeling of a well characterized plasma discharge and fusion device. This method has been applied to MAST Upgrade and the good agreement found between measured and modeled foil activity support this approach. The results presented suffer from some limitations but suggestions are given on how to resolve them.

Citation

MacLean, C., Cecconello, M., Allan, S., Grove, C., Worrall, R., Lennon, K., the MAST Upgrade Team, & the EUROfusion Tokamak Exploitation Team. (2025). Absolute neutron emission estimate on MAST Upgrade based on activation foil measurements. Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 67(6), Article 065011. https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/add764

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: May 12, 2025
• Online Publication Date: May 21, 2025
• Publication Date: 2025-06
• Deposit Date: May 21, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: May 23, 2025
• Journal: Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion
• Print ISSN: 0741-3335
• Electronic ISSN: 1361-6587
• Publisher: IOP Publishing
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 67
• Issue: 6
• Article Number: 065011
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6587/add764
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3957124