Microchannel System Simulation for a Neutron Production Target to be Used in the Boron Neutron Capture Therapy

Abstract

Microchannel system simulations have been performed in this work based on the thermal resistance model developed by Phillips (1988) andfollowed by Zhimin (1997). As it appears in the bibliography [Phillips (1988), Zhimin et al. (1997), Ludewigt et al. (1997), Tuckerman et al.(1981), Knight et al. (1992)], this system should be capable of removing 1 kW/cm2, for this reason it is being taken into account for the designof a neutron production target with accelerators.Based on the previously mentioned model, two codes were written in MATLAB programming platform, that solve the equations of such modelin an iterative way under constant pressure between the microchannel ends and constant pumping power, respectively. The codes calculate thetotal thermal resistance (and its components) of the microchannel system for a given geometry, in addition to the hydrodynamic variables andthe system adimentional numbers (Re and Nu).The codes report total thermal resistance values and adimentional numbers comparable to those reported in different publications [Phillips(1988), Zhimin et al. (1997), Ludewigt et al. (1997)], discrepancies lower than 10%have been found. For this reason it is being considered todesign a heat sink that drains the energy depositedby the accelerator?s incident beam.