ITER-relevant experimental neutronic activities at JET during DTE3 and at the Frascati neutron generator

The technological exploitation of deuterium-tritium (DT) campaigns at JET under EUROfusion work package PrIO (Preparation of ITER Operations) aimed at taking advantage of the ITER-relevant radiation fields to improve the knowledge of nuclear technology and safety and to develop and validate nuclear codes, data and measurement techniques through dedicated experiments. Among them, the shutdown dose rate (SDDR) measurement with a dosimetry system based on ion chambers for the validation of the numerical tools for the SDDR assessment in ITER, the on-line measurement of tritium production in the mock-up of the ITER HCPB-TBM (Helium Cooled Pebble Bed - Test Blanket Module) with a diamond detector to test some measurement systems capable of working in harsh environments as TBMs, and the first-of-a-kind experiment to measure the neutron-induced activation of cooling water in a tokamak during DT operation, to validate the multi-physics methodologies for water activation assessment in ITER. Moreover, as one of the main sources of radiological hazard in ITER is due to the Activated Corrosion Products (ACPs) circulating in the cooling system, an experiment is currently under design at the ENEA 14-MeV Frascati Neutron Generator (FNG) to prove the accuracy of the reference code in this matter for ITER (i.e., OSCAR-Fusion) under fusion relevant conditions. Finally, considering the importance of radiation-induced effects on electronics in ITER and future fusion machines, it is worth mentioning the development of a modular irradiation station at ENEA named GENeuSIS (General Experimental Neutron System Irradiation Station), to be installed at FNG and which aims at reproducing specific neutron and gamma energy spectra for studying the response of electronic devices and diagnostics.

The scope of the present work is to give an overview of the mentioned activities, mostly from an experimental point of view, to describe their status, achievements, criticalities emerged and the optimization of the next steps.