Flow and thermal modelling of the argon volume in the DarkSide-20k TPC

The DarkSide-20k dark matter experiment, currently under construction at LNGS, features a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC) with a ∼ 50t argon target from an underground well. At this scale, it is crucial to optimise the argon flow pattern for efficient target purification and for fast distri...

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Authors: Acerbi, F.; Adhikari, P.; Agnes, P.; Ahmad, I.; Albergo, S.; Albuquerque, I.F.; Alexander, T.; Alton, A.K.; Amaudruz, P.; Angiolilli, M.; Aprile, E.; Atzori Corona, M.; Auty, D.J.; Ave, M.; Avetisov, I.C.; Azzolini, O.; Back, H.O.; Balmforth, Z.; Barrado Olmedo, A.; Barrillon, P.; Batignani, G.; Bhowmick, P.; Bloem, M.; Blua, S.; Bocci, V.; Bonivento, W.; Bottino, B.; Boulay, M.G.; Buchowicz, A.; Bussino, S.; Busto, J.; Cadeddu, M.; Cadoni, M.; Calabrese, R.; Camillo, V.; Caminata, A.; Canci, N.; Caravati, M.; Cárdenas-Montes, M.; Cargioli, N.; Carlini, M.; Castellani, A.; Castello, P.; Cavalcante, P.; Cebrian, S.; Chashin, S.; Chepurnov, A.; Choudhary, S.; Cifarelli, L.; Cleveland, B.; Coadou, Y.; Cocco, V.; Colaiuda, D.; Conde Vilda, E.; Consiglio, L.; Corbett, J.; Costa, B.S.; Czubak, M.; D'Aniello, M.; D'Auria, S.; Da Rocha Rolo, M.D.; Dainty, A.; Darbo, G.; Davini, S.; de Asmundis, R.; De Cecco, S.; Dellacasa, G.; Derbin, A.V.; Devoto, A.; Di Capua, F.; Di Noto, L.; Di Stefano, P.; Dias, L.K.; Díaz Mairena, D.; Dionisi, C.; Dolganov, G.; Dordei, F.; Dronik, V.; Dylon, F.; Elersich, A.; Ellingwood, E.; Erjavec, T.; Fearon, N.; Fernandez Diaz, M.; Ficorella, A.; Fiorillo, G.; Franchini, P.; Franco, D.; Frandini Gatti, H.; Frolov, E.; Gabriele, F.; Gahan, D.; Galbiati, C.; Galinski, G.; Gallina, G.; Gallus, G.; Garbini, M.; Garcia Abia, P.; Gawdzik, A.; Gendotti, A.; Giovanetti, G.K.; Goicoechea Casanueva, V.; Gola, A.; Grandi, L.; Grauso, G.; Grilli di Cortona, G.; Grobov, A.; Gromov, M.; Gulino, M.; Hackett, B.R.; Hallin, A.L.; Hamer, A.; Haranczyk, M.; Harrop, B.; Hessel, T.; Hollingham, J.; Horikawa, S.; Hu, J.; Hubaut, F.; Huff, D.; Hugues, T.; Hungerford, E.V.; Ianni, A.; Ippolito, V.; Jamil, A.; Jillings, C.; Keloth, R.; Kemmerich, N.; Kemp, A.; Kimura, M.; Klenin, A.; Kondo, K.; Korga, G.; Kotsiopoulou, L.; Koulosousas, S.; Kubankin, A.; Kunzé, P.; Kuss, M.; Kuzniak, M.; Kuzwa, M.; La Commara, M.; Lai, M.; Le Guirriec, E.; Leason, E.; Leoni, A.; Lidey, L.; Lipp, J.; Lissia, M.; Luzzi, L.; Lychagina, O.; Macfadyen, O.; Machulin, I.N.; Manecki, S.; Manthos, I.; Mapelli, L.; Marasciulli, A.; Mari, S.M.; Mariani, C.; Maricic, J.; Martinez, M.; Martoff, C.J.; Matteucci, G.; Mavrokoridis, K.; McDonald, A.B.; Merzi, S.; Messina, A.; Milincic, R.; Minutoli, S.; Mitra, A.; Monroe, J.; Moretti, E.; Morrocchi, M.; Morsy, A.; Mroz, T.; Muratova, V.N.; Murra, M.; Muscas, C.; Musico, P.; Nania, R.; Nessi, M.; Nieradka, G.; Nikolopoulos, K.; Nikoloudaki, E.; Nikulin, I.; Nowak, J.; Olchanski, K.; Oleinik, A.; Oleynikov, V.; Organtini, P.; Ortiz de Solórzano, A.
Format: Article
Status:Published version
Publication date:2025
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Zaragoza
Repository:Zaguán. Repositorio Digital de la Universidad de Zaragoza
OAI Identifier:oai:zaguan.unizar.es:162222
Online Access:http://zaguan.unizar.es/record/162222
Access Level:Open access
Description
Summary:The DarkSide-20k dark matter experiment, currently under construction at LNGS, features a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC) with a ∼ 50t argon target from an underground well. At this scale, it is crucial to optimise the argon flow pattern for efficient target purification and for fast distribution of internal gaseous calibration sources with lifetimes of the order of hours. To this end, we have performed computational fluid dynamics simulations and heat transfer calculations. The residence time distribution shows that the detector is well-mixed on time-scales of the turnover time (∼ 40d). Notably, simulations show that despite a two-order-of-magnitude difference between the turnover time and the half-life of 83mKr of 1.83h, source atoms have the highest probability to reach the centre of the TPC 13min after their injection, allowing for a homogeneous distribution before undergoing radioactive decay. We further analyse the thermal aspects of dual-phase operation and define the requirements for the formation of a stable gas pocket on top of the liquid. We find a best-estimate value for the heat transfer rate at the liquid-gas interface of 62W with an upper limit of 144W and a minimum gas pocket inlet temperature of 89K to avoid condensation on the acrylic anode. This study also informs the placement of liquid inlets and outlets in the TPC. The presented techniques are widely applicable to other large-scale, noble-liquid detectors.