The R&D@UCL program in support of the MYRRHA linear accelerator
Résumé
The MYRRHA project, currently proposed by the SCK•CEN, aims to demonstrate the
feasibility and operability of a safe and efficient transmuter, constituted of a subcritical
core fed by an external neutron source obtained by a high power proton accelerator. The
outstanding challenge of the MYRRHA accelerator is the design requirement of Mean Time
Between Failures (MTBF), set at 250 hours. The current R&D programme is divided into
three lines of investigation. The second R&D line, named RFQ@UCL, is devoted to injector
engineering design and subsequent construction, including prototyping and feedback to
design. This activity is led by SCK•CEN in collaboration with the Cyclotron Resources
Center (CRC), at Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium, the CNRS/IN2P3 laboratories IPN Orsay
(IPNO) and LPSC Grenoble and the IAP Frankfurt laboratory. This programme is related to
the first R&D line, the FP7 MAX programme.
The principal motivation of the RFQ@UCL programme is the experimental address of the
MYRRHA injector design. The first scope is focused on the 4-rod RFQ. After successful
construction of a short test section for thermal behaviour investigation conducted by IAP in
the framework of MAX, the full-size 4-rod RFQ prototype is expected to be constructed and
installed for beam tests. The initial setup includes a commercial ECR proton source, a
dedicated LEBT section, a full-size 4-rod RFQ prototype, a diagnostic section and a beam
dump. In a later stage, the RFQ@UCL activity could be extended towards the subsequent
higher beam energy structures of the injector. Such an initial injector will evaluate the
choice of RFQ itself, and furthermore, this test platform is capable of exploring many other
critical issues in the injector design.