PSI, Villigen
PSI is gradually upgrading the 590 MeV proton beam intensity from the present 2.2 mA towards 3 mA, which poses a significant challenge to the reliable operation of the accelerator facility. Of particular concern is the collimator system which is exposed to the dispersed beam from a muon production target. It shapes an optimal beam profile for low-loss beam transport to the neutron spallation source SINQ. The collimator system absorbs slightly more than 10 % of the proton beam power and the maximum temperature of the collimator system exceeds 350 C at 2.2 mA, which is close to the failure point. In this paper, we present a new collimator system design which could withstand the proton beam intensity of 3 mA, while fulfilling the intended functionalities. Advanced multi-physics simulation technology is used for the geometric and material optimizations, to achieve the lowest possible actual to yield stress ratio at 3 mA. A sensitivity study is performed on the correlation between the beam misalignments and the reliability of the key accelerator components in the proton downstream region. Also reported are the possible proton irradiation effects on the mechanical failure criteria.
