Operational issues related to the proton beam interactions in the SORGENTINA-RF’s fusion ion source

The SORGENTINA-RF project aims at developing a 14 MeV fusion neutron source that relies on a deuterium/tritium ion accelerator to produce ⁹⁹Mo for medical applications. The ion accelerator is tested initially in hydrogen using a dumping system in order to assess its performance. The 300 keV–830 mA proton beam interacts both with the residual gas in the drift tube of the accelerator and with the beam dump, resulting in a series of radiative processes. In principle, these phenomena could rise organizational challenges related to the safety of operators and technical issues such as overheating of the drift tube. Analytical and numerical methods are used to estimate the magnitude of the impact of the unwanted radiation and to adopt appropriate and adequate operating measures.