Decay heat in ISIS spallation target: simulations and measurements

Spallation targets for neutron production with high energy protons are made of high density and high atomic number materials in order to maximise the yield of neutrons for all the instruments around. Operating a proton beam onto a spallation target produces residual radioactive nuclei either as direct product of the spallation process and as secondary low energy neutron absorption. A reliable estimation of the overall activation and decay heat, as a function of the cooling time and irradiation profile history, is fundamental for a valuable design of the radiation shielding and cooling system during the operation phase as well for envisaging the optimal storage solution at the end of life of the target. This work presents the comparison between the FLUKA predictions of the decay heat in the ISIS TS1 target operated between 2014 and 2019 and the decay heat estimations derived from the measurement of the temperature in each plate at different cooling times. The agreement between the FLUKA predictions and the experimentally assessed values shows and quantifies the goodness of the FLUKA model in predicting measurable physical quantities relevant for the engineering thermal design of the target/reflector and moderator (TRAM) assembly. In addition, it also provides an indirect evidence of the accuracy of the simulated spallation physics and neutron transport throughout the TRAM assembly. Finally this work attempts to highlight and propose a general empirical procedure that could be eventually applied and used to proficiently measure the decay heat at whatever cooling time in targets with similar ISIS design.