CEA Irfu EPICS Environment for the SARAF-LINAC Project

International audienceOur Institute CEA Saclay Irfu was in charge of the EPICS based control system platform for the accelerator projects Spiral2 at Ganil in Normandy and IFMIF/LIPAc at JAEA/Rokkasho (Japan). Our 3-year collaboration with ESS[*] has given us the opportunity to use new COTS hardware. We have made our CEA Irfu control platform evolve by retaining relevant and evolutive ESS solutions. Currently, CEA Irfu is in charge of the design, construction and commissioning at SNRC of the project SARAF-LINAC[**] (MEBT and Super Conducting Linac) including its control. This paper will present our proposition of architecture for the SARAF Linac using the new CEA Irfu hardware and software platforms

vscode-epics, a VSCode Module to Enlighten Your EPICS Code

International audiencevscode-epics is a Visual Studio Code module developed by CEA Irfu that aims to enlight your EPICS code. This module makes developer life easier, improves code quality and helps standardizing EPICS code. It provides syntax highlighting, snippets and header template for EPICS file and provides snippets for WeTest*. This VSCode module is based on Visual Studio Code language Extension and it uses basic JSON files that make feature addition easy. The number of downloads increases version after version and the different feedback motivates us to strongly maintain it for the EPICS community. Since 2019, some laboratories of the EPICS community have participated in the improvement of the module and it seems to have a nice future (linter, snippet improvements, specific language support, etc.). The module is available on Visual Studio Code marketplace** and on EPICS extension GitHub***. CEA Irfu is open to bug notifications, enhancement suggestions and merge requests to continuously improve vscode-epics

IRFU EPICS Environment

International audienceThe 3 years collaboration with ESS* at Lund (Sweden) has given us the opportunity to use new COTS hardware and new tools. Based on that experience, we have developed the IEE (IRFU** EPICS Environment) by retaining relevant and scalable ESS solutions. This platform centralized several functionalities, fully installed by scripting, on a server that is running on a virtual machine. The functionalities are an EPICS environment and the root file system with the kernel for each embedded systems. In order to provide homogeneous EPICS modules between all collaborators, a template was designed and used as containers for new developments. Furthermore, a development and a production workflow is also proposed and strongly recommended. Due to the current responsibility of CEA IRFU to provide an EPICS platform for SARAF** at Tel Aviv (Israel), IEE was chosen as the standard platform for the whole accelerator. This paper will present the new standard IRFU EPICS Environment based on MTCA and virtual machines

Motorized Regulation Systems for the SARAF Project

International audienceCEA is in charge of the tuning regulation systems for the SARAF-Linac project. These tuning systems will be used with LLRF to regulate the 3 Rebuncher cavities and the HWR cavities of the 4 cryomodules. These systems were already tested on the Rebuncher and Equipped Cavity Test stands to test respectively the warm and cold tunings. This paper describes the hardware and software architectures. Both tuning systems are based on Siemens PLC and EPICS-PLC communication. Ambiant temperature technology is based on SIEMENS motor controller solution whereas the cold one combines Phytron and PhyMOTION solutions

SARAF MEBT Commissioning

International audienceSNRC in Israel is in the process of constructing a neutron production accelerator facility called SARAF. The facility will utilize a linac to accelerate a 5 mA CW deuteron and proton beam up to 40 MeV. In the first phase of the project, SNRC completed construction and operation of a linac (referred to as SARAF Phase I) which included an ECR ion source, a Low-Energy Beam Transport (LEBT) line, and a 4-rod RFQ. The second phase of the project involves collaboration between SNRC and Irfu in France to manufacture the linac. The injector control system has been updated and the Medium Energy Beam Transport (MEBT) line has been installed and integrated into the infrastructure. Recent testing and commissioning of the injector and MEBT with 5 mA CW protons and 5 mA pulsed Deuterons, completed in 2022 and 2023, will be presented and discussed. A special attention will be paid to the experimental data processing with the Bayesian inference of the parameters of a digital twin

New Neutron Sensitive Beam Loss Monitor (nBLM)

International audienceThe beam loss detection is of the utmost importance for accelerator safety. At CEA, we are closely collaborating with ESS and DMCS on development of ESS nBLM. The system is based on Micromegas* gaseous detector sensitives to fast neutrons produced when beam particles hit the accelerator materials. This detector has powerful features: reliable neutron detection and fast time response. The nBLM control system provides slow monitoring, fast security based on neutron counting and post mortem data. It is fully handled by EPICS, which drives 3 different subsystems: a Siemens PLC regulates the gas line, a CAEN crate controls low and high voltages, and a MTCA system based on IOxOS boards is in charge of the fast data processing for 16 detectors. The detector signal is digitized by the 250 Ms/s ADC, which is further processed by the firmware developed by DMCS and finally retrieved and sent to EPICS network. For other accelerator projects, we are designing nBLM system close to ESS nBLM one. In order to be able to sustain the full control system, we are developing the firmware and the driver. This paper summarizes CEA’s work on the nBLM control system for the ESS and other accelerators

Machine Protection System at SARAF

International audienceCEA Saclay Irfu is in charge of the major part of the control system of the SARAF-LINAC accelerator based at Soreq in Israel. This scope also includes the Machine Protection System. This system prevents any damage in the accelerator by shutting down the beam in case of detection of risky incidents like interceptive diagnostics in the beam or vacuum or cooling defects. So far, the system has been used successfully up to the MEBT. It will be tested soon for the super conducting Linac consisting of 4 cryomodules and 27 cavities. This Machine Protection System relies on three sets: the MRF timing system that is the messenger of the "shut beam" messages coming from any devices, IOxOS MTCA boards with custom FPGA developments that monitor the Section Beam Current Transmission along the accelerator and a Beam Destination Master that manages the beam destination required. This Destination Master is based on a master PLC. It permanently monitors Siemens PLCs that are in charge of the "slow" detection for fields such as vacuum, cryogenic and cooling system. The paper describes the architecture of this protection system and the exchanges between these three main parts

Space Charge Effects Studies for the ESS Cold Linac Beam Profiler

International audienceFive Ionization Profile Monitors are being built by CEA in the framework of the in-kind contribution agreement signed with ESS. The IPMs will be installed in the Cold Linac where the proton energy range they need to cover extends from 90 MeV to 2 GeV. The ESS fields intensity of 1.10⁺⁰⁹ protons/bunch delivered at a frequency of 352 or 704 MHz, with a duty cycle of 4%, may strongly affect the trajectories of the ionized molecules and electrons created by the passage of the beam through the residual gas. In order to quantify and to develop a correction algorithm for these space charge effects, a code was initiated at ESS and completed at CEA Saclay with the possibility to include real case electric fields calculated with Comsol Multiphysics. A general overview of the code and its preliminary results are presented here

The SARAF-LINAC Project 2019 Status

International audienceSNRC and CEA collaborate to the upgrade of the SARAF accelerator to 5 mA CW 40 MeV deuteron and proton beams (Phase 2). CEA is in charge of the design, construction and commissioning of the MEBT line and the superconducting linac (SARAF-LINAC Project). The prototypes of the 176 MHz NC rebuncher, SC cavities, RF coupler and SC solenoid-Package have been tested recently. Meanwhile, the cryomodules technical specifications have been written and called for tender. This paper presents the status of the SARAF-LINAC Project at April 2019

Space Charge Effects Studies for the ESS Cold Linac Beam Profiler

International audienceFive Ionization Profile Monitors are being built by CEA in the framework of the in-kind contribution agreement signed with ESS. The IPMs will be installed in the Cold Linac where the proton energy range they need to cover extends from 90 MeV to 2 GeV. The ESS fields intensity of 1.10⁺⁰⁹ protons/bunch delivered at a frequency of 352 or 704 MHz, with a duty cycle of 4%, may strongly affect the trajectories of the ionized molecules and electrons created by the passage of the beam through the residual gas. In order to quantify and to develop a correction algorithm for these space charge effects, a code was initiated at ESS and completed at CEA Saclay with the possibility to include real case electric fields calculated with Comsol Multiphysics. A general overview of the code and its preliminary results are presented here