Accelerator
NCL – beam commissioning
MEBT magnets and choppers have been tested and are ready for beam. Fire sealing of the first two stubs between the normal conducting linac and the normal conducting gallery is completed. The personnel safety system in the front end building and by the temporary shielding wall are re-validated and the temporary shielding wall is closed with a plug. Beam commissioning, where beams of protons are sent through the first few accelerating structures of the ESS linac, will start soon.
LWU installation
Linac warm units (LWUs), which will be placed in-between cryomodules in the superconducting part of the linac as well as upstream in the contingency area up to Target, are subject to particle-free installation. Before the installation can start, any contamination needs to be removed. This is done within a clean room confinement by the ESS vacuum team. LWUs are currently connected to a dummy pipe, representing the cryomodules.
LWUs are an in-kind contribution from the UK via STFC, in partnership with Elettra in Italy and Danfysik in Denmark.
Cryomodule testing
The second serial-produced medium beta cryomodule to be tested in the test stand 2 bunker, has been connected and warm conditioning to the cavities is currently ongoing. Cooldown is expected to start soon.
Accelerator Infrastructure
Infrastructure (racks, steel structures, cable ladders, cabling, connections, terminations and more) are completed for the normal conducting and medium beta sections of the Accelerator. Works are ongoing in the high beta section.
Target
Active Cell
The upper intrabay door, a folding door in between the process and maintenance cells of the Active Cells facility, has been lifted in place. The previously installed work platform is now used to install the 58-tonnes piece.
The upper intrabay door will be remote-controlled via a drive assembly installed inside the Transport Hall.
Monolith port tubes
ESS Bilbao partner ENSA has arrived on the construction site, and preparations are underway to start the welding of port tubes to the Monolith vessel. Several units have already been lifted down to the Monolith base plate.
Cantilever roof cladding
Cladding with aluminium lamellae to the existing steel structure for the ESS sombrero is ongoing on the east side of the Target building, above D06 substation, the Accelerator to Target building and D04 lab.
Experimental Halls
NSS bunker
Reinforcement works are completed for the bunker crane on the north side of the Monolith, and is ongoing on the south side.
Installation of the side wall for the west sector bunker will resume next week. The first roof elements, cast with heavy concrete. will be delivered soon.
LOKI
Concrete plinths adjacent to the north bunker wall inside Experimental Hall 2 are in place for the LoKI instrument. Drilling for base plates is ongoing. The detector vessel, currently stored at the other hand of the hall, will be positioned in November.
ODIN/DREAM
The south bunker sector curved wall will be partially opened for the installation of sleeves for the two beamlines for instruments ODIN and DREAM, which are located in the west area of Experimental Hall 1.
Installation of lower shielding blocks for the neutron guides is also starting soon for these two instruments.
Skanska civil construction
The last big asphalting
The road along the back of the Accelerator front end building, Gallery Southern Road and remaining parts of Circular Road have been equipped with a fresh layer of asphalt.
Inspections and handovers
Inspections and CE marking of all elevators in the Target building will be performed over the next weeks.
All remaining buildings where Skanska are finishing up and testing installations, performing inspections and doing the final cleaning (the Target building, Experimental Halls 1 and 2 and the two adjacent lab buildings as well as landscaped areas) will be handed over to ESS at the final handover of the construction project on 21 December 2021.
