The China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) recently replaced its target during the 2020 summer maintenance period.

The target, CSNS’s first, was installed in 2017 and had completed three years of service. Engineers used remotely controlled robotic equipment such as a servo-manipulator and master-slave manipulator to remove the target, place it into a lead-shielded barrel, and transfer it to a designated storage place. A new target was then installed and a cyclic water pressure hold test was subsequently conducted. The results showed that the space between the target and the base was well sealed.

The target, as the core component of CSNS for producing neutrons, was highly radioactive after a long period of operation. To protect the engineers from radiation, the target replacement work had to be done in a well-shielded hot cell via remote control. It was the first time for CSNS to replace the target since it began operation. The entire process took a whole month to complete.

CSNS also plans to conduct target Port-Irradiation Examination of the retired target, so as to provide more information for R&D on the next generation of high-powered targets.