Thermal Simulation Studies for the Characterization of a Cyclotron Liquid Target with Thick Niobium Target Windows

Abstract

This work presents a simulation model developed with the aim to represent and study the thermal behavior of cyclotron liquid targets. Understanding and improving the thermal behavior of the target system is fundamental to improving the target overall performance, especially when using thick target windows, for which a larger amount of heat generated can be limiting. ANSYS CFX and SRIM software were used to develop a simulation model representing the IBA Nirta® Ga-68 liquid target system, to study the use of thick niobium target windows. The model was validated by comparing the results with experimental data obtained for the same liquid target system. In the present study, simulation results and temperature distributions of the main target components were obtained by studying the main parameters of interests, such as the initial temperature and mass flow rate of the coolants, and also distinct target windows with different thicknesses.