Irradiation control of the “SPIRAL1” target by measuring the ion beam intensity: “CICS” Project

International audienceIn order to obtain a more precise control on the irradiation of the targets of the “SPIRAL1” installation and to optimize the experiments schedule as well as the exploitation costs, a new criterion of safety is respected. This new safety criterion is the maximum dose (maximum number of ions stopped in the Spiral1 Target). To control this, an AQ system has been put in operation and more specifically a new device has been set up in order to measure the ion beam intensity and to calculate the number of particules per second. This value can then be integrated over time. This device mainly consists of two redundant instrumentations, which are acquired via a real time industrial controller. The accuracy of measurement is estimated taking into account the variation of beam, of the environment and of the installation. This system obtained the agreement of the French nuclear safety authorities and is operational since September 2007