Thermal performance and redesign of beam stoppers under superficial heat transfer from intense ion beams in matter

Abstract

In the Linear accelerator 3 (Linac 3) and Low Energy Ion Ring (LEIR) at CERN dedicated beam stoppers intercept ion beams for machine and personnel protection whenever required. The interaction of accelerated ions and the stopper induces through-thickness heat deposition in the stopper material as deep as a few hundreds of micrometers. Following a multi-layered geometrical discretization this paper discusses the thermal and structural performance of the stoppers under different ion beams (Pb, Xe, Ar). Design considerations based on the projected range of different ions in target materials (aluminum, steel and copper alloys) are discussed. An improved design for ion stoppers based on thermo-structural performance and projected range is proposed.