Blanket mock-up experiment with a LiAlPb assembly irradiated with 14 MeV neutrons in preparation of the HCLL-TBM neutronics experiment

Irradiation experiments with a LiAlPb assembly have been performed using the DT neutron generator of Technical University of Dresden. The main goal was to qualify LiF thermoluminescence detectors (TLDs) for tritium breeding experiments and to test a recently improved NE-213 spectrometer, both for application in a neutronics mock-up experiment of the European HCLL-TBM at ENEA Frascati and Technical University of Dresden (TUD) planned for 2008. The LiF-TLD were set up inside the LiAlPb assembly and irradiated with the DT neutron generator of TUD in continuous mode. A good agreement with TPR calculated with MCNP was found. Fast neutron spectra inside the assembly have been obtained with the NE-213 detector. The flux of the thermal and epithermal neutrons inside the assembly, which is important for the tritium production rate from Li6, was measured with a He3 counter and the DT neutron generator operated in pulsed mode.