accelerating-news-arc.web.cern.ch - Warsaw

Accelerator work at Swierk

Margarita Synanidi — Thu, 27 Nov 2014 10:01:38 +0000

Accelerator work at Swierk
by Kate Kahle (CERN) with Agnes Szeberenyi

Lillyput 3 is an industrial accelerator with photon energy 6 & 9 MV that is easily transportable for nondestructive inspection tests. (click image to enlarge) Image credit: NCBJ, HITEC division

The largest research institute in Poland, the National Centre for Nuclear Research (NCBJ) showcased an impressive variety of accelerator R&D and construction during the recently held EuCARD annual meeting in Warsaw.

Created in 2011, NCBJ merged the Soltan Institute for Nuclear Studies (IPJ) and the Institute of Atomic Energy POLATOM, and now has more than 1,000 employees. The institute is involved in several international projects and research infrastructures, constructing components such as proton buncher and –mode structres (PIMS) for the LHC Linac4, higher order mode (HoM) absorbers for European-XFEL, developing e^- accelerator for the GBAR experiment at CERN, integrating elements of neutral beam injection system (NBI) for the Wendesltein 7-X stellarator in Greifswald, etc.

It is home to the research reactor MARIA, specialising in neutron beam research, activation analysis and isotope production for medical use. In addition, NCBJ develops accelerators for industry, such as the non-destructive inspection techniques of Lillyput, and accelerators for medicine, such as COLINE linear accelerators used in radiotherapy for treating cancer.

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issue 2

Colli-makers: new materials for collimator design

Margarita Synanidi — Mon, 10 Nov 2014 13:51:23 +0000

Colli-makers: new materials for collimator design
by Kate Kahle (CERN) with Adrian Giordani and Bruce Etherington

The four aspects of EuCARD ColMat task 8.2 “Modelling, Materials, Tests for Hadron Beams” (click image to enlarge). Image credit: Alessandro Bertarelli, CERN.

Work presented at EuCARD’s Annual Meeting highlights important developments for the next-generation of collimators. The results not only impact the LHC’s performance, they also have the potential to go beyond pure accelerator applications.

To bring the LHC beyond its nominal performance, a new generation of collimators will be needed with advanced materials. The ColMat Task 8.2, part of work package 8 of the EuCARD project, is testing a variety of composite materials for the production of prototypes. These tests include shock-wave analysis, FLUKA and LS-Dyna software simulations, irradiation studies, and mechanical tests.

To be effective, collimation systems must satisfy two main functions: removing stray particles, which would induce quenches in super-conducting magnets; and shielding other machine components from beam orbit errors. Metal Matrix Composites, such as diamond or graphite reinforcements, as well as copper and diamond, and molybdenum and diamond, are being studied to assess their qualities in addressing the intrinsic limitations in current collimators.

From the initial tests, Metal Matrix Composites with diamond reinforcements have shown to be particularly promising as they combine properties such as robustness and high thermal and electrical conductivity from both compounds. Not only does this benefit future collimators, but Alessandro Bertarelli highlighted in his presentation and subsequent report that this R&D programme has the potential to be useful to nuclear, aerospace and thermal management communities as well.

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EuCARD highlights new developments

Sabrina El Yacoubi — Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:45:34 +0000

EuCARD highlights new developments
by Kate Kahle (CERN)

Poster for the 3rd Annual Meeting of EuCARD in Warsaw 24-27 April 2012
http://cern.ch/eucard2012. Image credit: EuCARD

From within the project or via invited speakers, highlight talks at the EuCARD annual meeting are always a rich source of information about key developments in the accelerator sector. This year's meeting in Warsaw is no exception.

From the EuCARD project itself, highlight talks include LHC compact crab cavities and beam squeezing schemes, showcased alongside CLIC precision alignment and high-field magnet developments. Topics range from plasma wakefield acceleration to collimator designs, from neutrino physics to superconducting and low-level radio frequency (LLRF) updates.

Beyond the project, participants will also hear about progress in Polish institutes NCBJ Swierk and WUT, as well as accelerator applications such as medical isotope production and accelerator-driven nuclear power. The current status of the EuCARD-2 proposal, which scored 14/15 and will shortly enter negotiations, will also be presented. With such a range of topics showcased, there is certainly something for everyone.