Two significant projects over the summer were replacement of the power supplies for the LINAC and the synchrotron put in almost 60 years ago. These are both critical to the operation of CHESS, since “if either the LINAC or Synchrotron aren’t running, there is no injection of beam into CESR and hence, no CHESS operation” as Jerry Codner, CESR Technical Director, explains.
Replacing the LINAC power supplies involves replacing the 2 original power supplies with 8 power supplies that feed the eight 20-megawatt klystrons. The original power supplies had to be repaired in-place if they failed. Eventually there will be a total of 10 power supplies, with two serving as hot spares, so that in the event of a failure the machine can be back online in a matter of minutes. Installation and testing has been going on all throughout the summer shutdown.
Also during the summer shutdown, we have been doing many beamline and equipment upgrades (listed below), and taking time to do some maintenance and housekeeping items.
- New white beam slits on the 4B beamline
- Installed a new multilayer mono for 3A
- Remounted and cleaned the 3B mono
- Modified the 2A mono mount
- Installed and interlocked a new sample-mounting robot in the 1A3 hutch
- Upgraded our Sector 1 equipment protection system and controls
- Upgraded our clean air system controls
- Updated our Personnel Protection System controls
- Preventative maintenance on our cryocoolers for sectors 2 and 3
- Rerouted cables and gas lines in preparation for HMF construction
Progress continues to be made on plans for the High Magnetic Field project and the New Experimental Hall (NEH) that will house it. Many of our staff have been spending time working on floor plans for the NEH building, determining cable pathways, and starting on some beamline designs. Various approvals, permits, and variances are required for the construction of the new building, and we are working toward achieving those. Current plans are to start construction in the spring of 2022. Efforts are being made to ensure that the construction of the NEH will have as little impact on the running of CHESS experimental runs as possible.
Upgrades have been made to the experimental equipment closed-loop cooling water and cryogenic system in anticipation of the needs of the NEH building.
Even though effort is being made to ensure the continued operation of CHESS beamlines, some things will change during construction. During the 2022 summer shutdown, the current access tunnel to sector 7 will be demolished and a year-round use walkway from the third floor patio will provide access to sector seven while the NEH is being built. Other safety precautions may be necessary during construction, and will be communicated to CHESS users as necessary.
