基于遗传算法的快中子靶站束流引出优化设计

Optimization Design of Fast Neutron Target Station Beam Extraction Based on Genetic Algorithm

  • 摘要: 为获得高能量分辨率的中子束流,本文对高重频中子源靶站进行了引出结构设计。以未碰撞中子数目、占比以及周围中子数目为目标函数,以靶与准直器的距离、准直器的内径和材料厚度以及真空管道的内径为参数变量,通过遗传算法与蒙特卡罗模拟耦合的方式对中子引出管道的结构组成进行了优化。结果表明,相较于初始方案,优化方案的周围总中子通量降低了3.6%,使用的准直器材料总厚度减小了约30%,真空管道的内径减小了7.17 cm,并提升了测量区域内0.8%的未碰撞中子占比。优化后整体结构的周围剂量率低于1 μSv/h,满足剂量防护的要求,在距离靶5 m处管道中心直径50 mm范围内的中子通量相对均匀分布。

     

    Abstract: An accelerator neutron source target station for energy calibration using the time-of-flight (TOF) method was designed in this paper. Considering the special requirements of high-repetition-rate proton pulses from the accelerator and the off-target facility (OTF) method for calibration, it is necessary to reduce the impact of scattering on the trajectory of neutrons generated by the target to obtain the highest possible proportion of uncollided neutrons. At the same time, to achieve a lightweight and compact structure for the target station, constraints were also placed on the dose rate around the measurement point, mainly referring to the neutron flux values outside the diameter range of 5 m to ϕ50 mm from the compound target during the optimization process. During calibration, the intensity of neutrons will also affect the overall efficiency, so the value of the uncollided neutron flux is also an important design indicator. The distance between the target and the collimator, the material thickness and structure of the collimator, and the inner diameter of the vacuum pipeline are variable parameters that affect the aforementioned indicators. Therefore, the aforementioned parameters are used as variables, and the three important indicators are taken as the objective function. The structural composition of the neutron extraction pipeline was optimized through theoretical simulation, coupled with a genetic algorithm and Monte Carlo code. In the optimization design, the genetic algorithm was used to initialize and adjust the optimization parameters, generate Monte Carlo input files, and call the Monte Carlo code for calculation. The total number of iterations is 20 000 (200×100), with each calculation taking approximately 1 minute. The Monte Carlo code can simulate physical processes such as neutron, photon, proton, and coupled neutron-photon transport, and record physical quantities such as uncollided neutron flux, total neutron flux, and neutron flux around the measurement point. The software simulation uses the ENDF/B-Ⅶ database for cross-sections. By repeatedly calling the Monte Carlo code and employing excellent evolutionary strategies, the genetic algorithm can ensure that the optimization design evolves in a converging direction. The results show that the optimized scheme reduces the total thickness of the collimator material by about 30% compared to the initial structure, the inner diameter of the vacuum pipeline is reduced by 7.17 cm, and the proportion of uncollided neutrons increases by 0.8%. After overall structural optimization, the surrounding dose rate is below 1 μSv/h, meeting the requirements for dose protection. The neutron flux at 5 m after shielding and collimation is uniformly distributed within a diameter range of ϕ50 mm.

     

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