Deuteron cross section evaluation for safety and radioprotection calculations of IFMIF/EVEDA accelerator prototype

In the frame of IFMIF/EVEDA activities, a prototype accelerator delivering a high power deuteron beam is under construction in Japan. Interaction of these deuterons with matter will generate high levels of neutrons and induced activation, whose predicted yields depend strongly on the models used to calculate the different cross sections. A benchmark test was performed to validate these data for deuteron energies up to 20 MeV and to define a reasonable methodology for calculating the cross sections needed for EVEDA. Calculations were performed using the nuclear models included in MCNPX and PHITS, and the dedicated nuclear model code TALYS. Although the results obtained using TALYS (global parameters) or Monte Carlo codes disagree with experimental values, a solution is proposed to compute cross sections that are a good fit to experimental data. A consistent computational procedure is also suggested to improve both transport simulations/prompt dose and activation/residual dose calculations required for EVEDA.