Accelerator Advisory Committee Meeting

2016 Charge

2016 SNS AAC Charge

February 16-18, 2016

Context:

All SNS accelerator and target-related activities over the next two years are aimed at two key objectives:

1. Achieve by the end of FY2017 sustainable and predictable routine operation at or near 1.4 MW to the First Target Station (FTS) with availability against published schedule of ≥ 90% while using ≤ 2 target vessels per year.

2. Achieve the vision of a three-source strategy for “Neutrons 2025” (including HFIR, FTS, Second Target Station [STS]) as articulated in the 2016 Strategic Science Plan for the Neutron Sciences Directorate.The accelerator and target-related aspects of this plan are identified as “SNS 2.8,” incorporating the steps necessary to double the machine power and to design a FTS target capable of accommodating beam power up to 2 MW while maintaining reasonable target lifetime.

Charge:

1. Has the performance of the accelerator complex and neutron source since the last meeting made suitable progress toward achieving Objective A?

2. Are the SNS responses and ongoing actions to recommendations from the 2015 AAC meeting reasonable?

3. Are the plans to achieve Objective A and associated risks reasonable? Accelerator initiatives and target initiatives will be evaluated by respective breakout sessions, with the integrated operations strategy evaluated as part of the plenary presentation and discussion process.

4. Is the scope of work identified for ongoing and future Accelerator Improvement Projects (AIP) appropriate and balanced between the competing interests building necessary margin for routine operation at 1.4 MW and addressing system obsolescence?

5. Are the proposed strategies to improve outage work planning in preparation for the first long facility outage in January-April 2017 reasonable? This 4-month outage is aimed at replacing the Target Inner Reflector Plug (IRP) and the front-end Radio-Frequency Quadrupole structure (RFQ), and also completing the majority of the in-situ high-beta cavity plasma processing scope of work.

6. Is the proposed strategy for the Proton Power Upgrade (PPU) project reasonable for an early project planning state, including the planned approach for the ring and transport systems?

7. How might the target design & fabrication decisions that we are making now be improved for reaching the short-term 1.4 MW reliability goal?

8. How aggressively should SNS pursue implementation of gas injection for the short-term (1-year) and long-term plans? Are we using the right strategies?

9. What other areas of target development (besides gas injection) might have significant rewards for future target reliability?

10. Is the proposed approach for the STS target systems reasonable for an early design stage, and in particular is the choice of a rotating target with vertical access for maintenance appropriate? Note that BESAC will be reviewing both the PPU and STS projects on February 11-12, 2016 with materials due to the committee by February 1, 2016.

11. Evaluate and comment on recent small-scale R&D projects conducted in collaboration with other organizations (U. Tenn.) and the readiness of the organization to pursue additional small-scale initiatives funded by other sources.