Status of Superconducting RF Linac Development for APT

This paper describes the development progress of high current superconducting RF linacs in Los Alamos, performed to support a design of the linac for the APT (Accelerator Production of Tritium) Project. The APT linac design includes a CW superconducting RF high energy section, spanning an energy range of 211 to 1030 MeV, and operating at a frequency of 700 MHz with two constant beta sections (beta of 0.64 and 0.82). In the last two years, we have progressed towards build a cryomodule with beta of 0.64. We completed the designs of the 5 cell superconducting cavities and the 210 kW power couplers. We are scheduled to begin assembly of the cryomodule in September 2000. In this paper, we present an overview of the status of our development efforts and a report on the results of the cavity and coupler test program.Comment: LINAC2000 THD1

Engineering development of superconducting RF linac for high-power applications

High-power proton linacs are a promising source of neutrons for material processing and research applications. Superconducting radiofrequency (SCRF) Rf linac technology is preferred for such applications because of power efficiency. A multi-year engineering development program is underway at Los Alamos National Laboratory to demonstrate the required SCRF technology. The program consists of development of SC cavities, power couplers, and cryomodule integration. Prototypes will be built and operated to obtain performance and integration information, and for design improvement. This paper describes the scope and present status of the development program

A NEW TEMPERATURE AND X-RAY MAPPING SYSTEM FOR 700-MHZ 5-CELL SUPERCONDUCTING CAVITIES

A new system to map temperature and X-ray radiation around the external surface of 700-MHz 5-cell superconducting cavities has been developed. It consists of an aluminum cylinder that is equipped with six modules of sensors. Eighty-one carbon resistors (temperature sensors) and seventy-one PIN diodes (X-ray sensors) are attached. This cylinder surrounds the 5-cell cavity and rotates about the cavity axis in about 6 minutes. A new feature, compared to the ones developed in the past, is its brush-contact mechanism on the outer surface of the aluminum cylinder, which enables the sensor array to rotate continuously in the same direction during the test. Although the present mechanism allows only one direction of rotation, it does not seem to be difficult to modify for both directions if electrical connections work in this manner. This paper describes the details of the structure and associated mechanisms as well as future schedule and plans of operation

Superconducting cavities for the APT accelerator

The design of an Accelerator Production of Tritium (APT) facility being investigated at Los Alamos includes a linear accelerator using superconducting rf-cavities for the acceleration of a high-current cw proton beam. For electron accelerators with particles moving at the speed of light ({beta} {approx} 1.0), resonators with a rounded shape, consisting of ellipsoidal and cylindrical sections, are well established. They are referred to as elliptical cavities. For the APT-design, this shape has been adapted for much slower proton beams with {beta} ranging from 0.60 to 0.94. This is a new energy range, in which resonators of an elliptical type have never been used before. Simulations with the well-proven electromagnetic modeling tools MAFIA and SUPERFISH were performed. The structures have been optimized for their rf and mechanical properties as well as for beam dynamics requirements. The TRAK-RF simulation code is used to investigate potential multipacting in these structures. All the simulations will be put to a final test in experiments performed on single cell cavities that have started in the structures laboratory