Thermal–Fluid–Structural Analysis and Parametric Study of a Water-Cooled Titanium Target for a Compact Deuterium–Deuterium Neutron Generator

To address the high heat flux of compact deuterium–deuterium neutron-generator targets, steady-state thermal–fluid–structural coupled simulations were performed for a water-cooled Ti target. The effects of coolant mass flow rate, channel depth, Ti film thickness, and Cu cover thickness on temperature, pressure drop, and structural stress were investigated. Under baseline conditions, the maximum Ti temperature remained below 200 °C, with a pressure drop of 1.58 MPa and maximum equivalent stresses of 88.9 MPa in Ti and 78.5 MPa in Cu. Increasing mass flow rate reduced the target temperature but provided diminishing thermal benefits while significantly increasing pressure drop. Increasing channel depth reduced pressure drop but increased target temperature. Ti film thickness mainly affected the thermal resistance of the Ti layer, whereas Cu cover thickness influenced both thermal and structural responses. Coupling between mass flow rate and channel depth led to trade-offs among temperature, pressure drop, and stress, while competing thermal and pressure loads produced a non-monotonic stress response. These results provide guidance for cooling design and operating parameter selection for D-D neutron targets.