Development of a high-yield compact D-D neutron generator

An improved high-yield compact D-D neutron generator has been developed for active neutron non-destructive interrogation at Lanzhou University in China. The generator has been meticulously designed based on the magnetic field distribution of the duoplasmatron ion source, the electric field distribution of the beam extraction acceleration system, beam transport, and target cooling system. The performance characteristics of the generator were measured under different deuterium beam energies and beam intensities. The experimental results indicated that the D-D neutron yield reached 1 x 109 n/s with the deuterium beam parameter of 210 keV/6.0 mA. The operational stability of the generator was assessed for 150 min, and the test results show that the generator has better stability in operation. This generator has potential applications in neutron radiography, active interrogation of special nuclear materials, and neutron activation analysis.