Development of a Computer Code System for Simulation of Target Performance for the RIA (Rare Isotope Accelerator)

The target system for the Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) will consist of several specially designed targets that utilize a wide variety of high power beams from the driver accelerator. However, the simulation of target performance has many drawbacks: (1) the computer codes for the transport of beam particles and rare isotope production were developed and maintained for other accelerator applications; (2) the database for rare isotope release is sparse and incomplete; (3) no standard thermo-hydraulics code is coupled to the transport code for heat deposition analysis; and (4) the shielding analysis and radioactivity inventory requires a systematic approach that is intrinsically integrated to other parts of the calculation. This project will develop a computer code system that would integrate all of the requirements for an RIA target design, including interaction of the driver accelerator beam (light and heavy ions) with the target, heat deposition and thermohydraulics of the target, rare isotope production and release, radioactivity inventory, and shielding analysis. Phase I will assess available codes and databases, and calculations will be performed to demonstrate the advantages of the inter-operability between the codes.