Accelerator
Beam commissioning/RF conditioning
In the Normal Conducting Linac, the MEBT bunchers are currently in preparation for conditioning. There are three buncher cavities attached to the Medium Energy Beam Transport (MEBT) section of the linac, which were not included in the first stage of beam commissioning completed in December 2021.
MEBT bunchers provide longitudinal focusing (bunching) of the beam coming from the RFQ section. Conditioning involves injecting RF power to the copper-mantled cavities, at increasing power levels.
The first Drift Tube Linac tank (DTL1), fully installed in the tunnel, is also being prepared for RF conditioning.
The next stage of beam commissioning will entail sending beam from the Ion Source, through the LEBT, RFQ, MEBT and DTL1, landing the beam in the DTL1 faraday cup. This is scheduled for later this year. Prerequisites for beam commissioning include completion of all associated RF conditioning activities and a Safety Readiness Review.
Spoke Linac
Positioning and alignment of the header units for the spoke linac's cryogenic distribution system continues. Tack welding has been performed on the first few units.
Cryomodule testing in Test Stand 2
The third medium beta elliptical cryomodule has been installed inside the test bunker and warm RF conditioning is ongoing, sending radiofrequency power to the cavities. The two previously tested modules are stored, awaiting installation in the linac.
Another cryomodule for the spoke section, tested at the Freia lab in Uppsala, is arriving to ESS shortly (number 7 out of 13). Inspection and tool tests in the ESS workshop and labs building will follow.
Target
Monolith
Welding of the 39 port tubes as well as the NN bar frame and adapter was successfully completed. Next, welding of the upper and lower part of the Monolith vacuum vessel is planned.
The first few shielding blocks for the Monolith inner shielding have been placed inside the vessel, with the bulk of this installation to be performed later this year.
The Light Shutter Systems (LSS) frame, partly pre-installed in the B02 Technical Workshop, will also be subject to installation in the coming months. The LSS frame will sit close to the port tubes around the circular opening of the Monolith base slab.
Experimental Halls
DREAM
Precast hollow concrete blocks have been placed for the second level walls of the DREAM scientific cave and this week the structure was filled with fresh concrete.
ODIN
Soon, construction of the control hutch and sample preparation area for ODIN will commence inside Experimental Hall 1. The precast building will have two floors.
ODIN occupies one of the beamlines in the south sector bunker, and is located next to DREAM in Experimental Hall 1.
Bunker infrastructure
Console, raceway and cable tray installations continue inside the neutron shielding bunker on both sides of the Monolith.
These cable containments will be used for cabling to the Chopper, Motion, Vacuum and Monitor systems, as well as for PSS systems and utilities within the bunker.
