Accelerator
Normal Conducting Linac
This week, re-characterisation in the ion source has been performed. This process produces proton plasma, and the LEBT faraday cup is used to collect the beam. Shortly, reconditioning of the RFQ section will follow.
DTL1, the first drift tube linac tank, is fully installed and a test readiness review has been held. Planning for the upcoming safety readiness review is ongoing. This will allow for beam commissioning up to the DTL1 faraday cup later this year.
Spoke Linac
Welding of header units, the pipes connecting the valve boxes for the cryogenic distribution system in the spoke section, is in progress.
Soak testing of the RF power stations in spoke cell 120 is ongoing. This involves simulating with operational power load over a longer period of time, to verify the system’s endurance and reliability.
Cryomodule testing
The third medium beta cryomodule subject to serial testing is inside the test stand 2 bunker. RF warm conditioning has been performed and cool down is under way.
Target
Monolith
A 4-metre-tall vessel has landed on the proton beam window port block, located next to the Monolith vessel. In here, rails will be installed to slide down the proton beam window, an important device in separating the ultra-high vacuum of the accelerator from the atmosphere in the Target Monolith.
The Monolith vessel has been meticulously cleaned on the inside by the ESS vacuum team. The lid is now on and all port tubes have been closed with end plates. Next up are pressure and leak tests, to verify that the confinement is tight.
Meanwhile, the Target wheel and shaft are on route to Sweden from in-kind partner ESS Bilbao, with arrival scheduled for next week. The transport will make a quick touch-down in Lund to quality check the goods, after which the wheel will go to Malmö for luminescent coating of the surface.
ESS main control room
Electrical infrastructure installations are completed for the ESS main control room located on the first floor of the Target Entrance building. ESS Integrated Control System (ICS) division is now preparing network cables and set-up, including loading of required software on the operator machines. The room will be populated with furniture, computers and screens.
There will be 12 workstations and screens along the walls to monitor operations. First to move in will be the Accelerator operations team.
Experimental Halls
LOKI
The very first neutron guide at ESS is in place in beamline N7 for instrument LOKI. Top wall bunker blocks were temporarily removed to allow for the installation and grouting of a feed-through casing (a so-called sleeve). In here, the 4-tonnes component containing the neutron guide was placed. This will now be aligned to micrometre precision, after which grouting of the sleeve lid and repositioning of the blocks can take place.
ODIN
Construction of the control cabin with sample preparation and storage area for instrument ODIN is under way in Experimental Hall 1.
Several truckloads of precast elements have arrived on site and installation of the first and second floor of the building is in progress. A staircase with handrails will follow.
DREAM
Next to ODIN in the same hall, a control cabin is also being built for the instrument DREAM. The cave structure for DREAM has been erected and painted.
Neutron shielding bunker
The heavy concrete elements for the first layer of the roof for the west sector bunker was lifted in place this week.
Inside the bunker, infrastructure works are ongoing, with cable trays and ducting mounted.
