Design of a compact D-D neutron generator

The design of a compact D-D neutron generator with a neutron yield greater than 1×108 n/s is presented in this paper. A duoplasmatron ion source is used to supply the deuteron beam. Deuterium ions are extracted and accelerated by a single-gap accelerating column and then bombard onto a drive-in molybdenum target where neutrons are produced through D-D fusion reactions. The target is cooled by the circulating deionized water. The extraction-accelerating electrode and the target system are enclosed inside a stainless steel vacuum vessel. The ion source is at ground potential, and the target is biased to a negative potential. The electric field distribution inside the vacuum vessel, the ion beam optic, the thermal analysis of the target and the effect of secondary electron suppression are calculated. And these calculation results are used to optimize and evaluate the designed scheme. Calculation results show that the design of the neutron generator satisfies necessary engineering requirements.