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Accelerators for testing energy efficiency

Panagiotis Charitos — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 13:11:24 +0000

Accelerators for testing energy efficiency
by Jennifer Toes (CERN)

3D Photo Composition of the Planned FAIR Facility at GSI (Image: FAIR/Jan Schäfer)

Researchers at GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research in Darmstadt, Germany have presented preliminary results for the integration of accelerator facilities into Virtual Power Plant (VPP) networks within the scope of the EuCARD-2 project.

Virtual Power Plants (VPPs) are networks that aim to optimise the production, storage and use of energy. They are comprised of renewable producers such a wind turbines and solar panels, storage facilities such as battery stations, and both public and industrial users. The networks aim to ensure better availability and reliability for consumers.

Dr Jens Stadlmann, Vice Machine Coordinator of SIS18 at GSI, said: “Accelerators are large and variable power consumers which makes them eligible candidates for VPP.”

The GSI team analysed the energy consumption of the accelerator complex and found a 3-6 MW difference between operation and shutdown. This meant the shutdown of the equipment could be scheduled during times of high-energy demand by identifying switchable loads.

The FAIR Facility

In an effort to consider the feasibility for future accelerator complexes, the GSI team studied the SIS100, the main synchrotron of the future Facility for Antiproton and Ion Research (FAIR).

The FAIR synchrotron will be able to work in very flexible cycles with three different modes of operation: Cycles A, B and C. Cycles A and B are regular modes of operation, which have similar dynamic loads and safety margins but Cycle C has much higher dynamic loss and is not planned as a regular mode of operation.

Experiments could schedule operation cycles with high dynamic loss around times of low energy demand. Next, power providers could make use of the whole facility as part of a VPP scenario by actively switching accelerator facilities to a low energy consuming cycle when general power demand is high.

Challenges for accelerators in VPP networks

Potential energy management schedules for accelerators must be considered carefully, as researchers may be expected to wait significant periods for the facility to be switched back to high-energy operation. Longer operating times may be required to compensate, which has its own impact on energy consumption and staff and operating costs.

In addition, the operation of the cryogenic system during low-energy may present a technical challenge for facility operators.

The SIS100 magnets are cooled by a two-phase helium system, whereby liquid helium extracts heat from the magnets and is evaporated back into a gas before being transported back to the surface of the facility.

If an accelerator facility is switched to low-energy operation, the level of cooling must be adjusted accordingly. At a lower energy magnets will produce less heat, so not all of the liquefied helium can be evaporated.

To recoup all of the deployed helium, facilities may need to install heaters or a method of pumping the liquid back into the feed box. Using heaters means the energy consumption of the cryo plant will stay relatively constant for all modes of accelerator operation. Significant changes must be made at the cryosystem to realise lower energy consumption during cycles of low dynamic load.

Next steps for accelerators and VPPs

Allowing power suppliers to switch accelerator facilities from high to low energy during times of high energy demand adds a layer of complexity and risk to facility operation.

Before accelerators may be fully integrated into VPP networks the cryogenic systems require further development, safety measures must be assessed and the facility must comply with additional regulations from the power network operators.

The longer operating times needed to compensate users for a loss of beam time may result in similar or higher energy consumption, and the costs for the manpower and operation of these facilities may also be higher.

Trialling for the expansion of VPP networks with accelerator facilities may allow researchers and power suppliers to identify potential obstacles to further use, which in turn may present future avenues of research and development.

“The technical and organisational obstacles which have to be overcome to qualify a complex machine like an accelerator for a VPP seem to be transferable to other scenarios und thus be of general interest for society,” said Dr Stadlmann.

EuCARD2

FAIR

virtual powerplants

energy efficiency

issue 20

Introducing CRISP Accelerator Topic for Synergies in Physics

Sabrina El Yacoubi — Fri, 28 Nov 2014 08:02:22 +0000

Introducing CRISP Accelerator Topic for Synergies in Physics
by Hans Weise (DESY) with Agnes Szeberenyi (CERN)

Group photo taken at the 2nd CRISP Annual meeting, 18-20 March 2013, PSI, Switzerland. Image credit: CRISP

The EU funded CRISP project (The Cluster of Research Infrastructures for Synergies in Physics) started on 1st October 2011 and runs for 3 years. CRISP is a cooperative project, creating synergies and developing common solutions via knowledge and technology transfer from academia and industry for research infrastructures (RIs), initially bringing together 11 RIs in the field of Physics, Astronomy, and Analytical Facilities from the ESFRI roadmap across Europe. The work is organized around 4 main topics; accelerators, detectors, instruments and experiments, information technology and data management.

In the Accelerator Topic, the CRISP developments support the delivery of beams with superior intensity, the operation of accelerators with high reliability, particle beam characteristics which will allow opening new perspectives and opportunities for the next generation of nuclear and high energy physics projects and of experiments in photon, neutron and ion beam science.

A total of five work packages were defined within the topic to the benefit of several accelerator projects funded by CRISP. Improved ion sources will allow for better operation of Spiral 2 at GANIL. Bunch Shape Monitors are under development at GANIL as well as at GSI for FAIR. Superconducting accelerator technology will be further improved at DESY for the European XFEL, at CERN in collaboration with ESS for future projects including the European Spallation Source, and at GSI in order to address the challenges of fast cycled superconducting magnets for FAIR. Novel compact particle sources, electrons as well as protons, are also discussed and Radio Frequency Solid State Amplifiers using Cavity Combiners are under development at ESRF.

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Improved ion sources and beam diagnostics for FAIR and SPIRAL2

Sabrina El Yacoubi — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 10:46:48 +0000

Improved ion sources and beam diagnostics for FAIR and SPIRAL2
by Peter Forck (GSI) and Christophe Peaucelle (IN2P3) with Agnes Szeberenyi (CERN)

Fig 1, left: An image of the bunch shape as recorded at the GSI LINAC with a beam of U28+ ions at 11.4 MeV/u. The plot shows the 70 mm MCP original image created by residual gas electrons on top and the projection to the horizontal axis results in the bunch shape below. Image credit: GSI.
Fig 2, right: Low-energy beam transport line of SPIRAL-2 with PHOENIX V2 ion source during commissioning. Image credit: LPSC/IN2P3

Under the CRISP project framework, WP3 aims at developing improved ion sources and beam diagnostics for SPIRAL2 atGANIL and FAIR Proton LINAC at GSI. Modern high power proton and ion LINACs aim for an effective acceleration and low RF-power consumption. This is realized by a high electric field gradient and non-standard beam dynamics settings.

SPIRAL2 is based on the detection of X-rays as emitted from a thin tungsten wire inserted in the beam path. These X-rays are detected by a fast Multi-Channel Plate mounted outside of the beam path. Conclusive tests at Institute de Physique Nucleaire in Orsay and GANIL lead to the realization of a compact device. The FAIR Proton LINACӳ monitor is based on the detection of secondary electrons as liberated from the residual gas molecules by beam impact. By the electric field within an RF-deflector the electrons are bent to transform the time information to a difference in space.

FAIR and SPIRAL2 facilities need both a high performance electron cyclotron resonance ion source (ECRIS) to create the high intensity beams. PHOENIX V2, a 18 GHz room temperature ECRIS developed by LPSC Grenoble will be the starting heavy ion source on SPIRAL 2. An evolution to PHOENIX V3 is being studied in order to increase the beam intensity by a factor of 2. The first beam with PHOENIX V3 is scheduled for November 2013.

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