ORNL RAD, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) Linear Accelerator (Linac) delivers a high power proton beam (>1 MW) for neutron production with high neutron availability (>90%). For beam acceleration, the Linac has both normal and super conducting RF sections, with the Super Conducting Linac (SCL) portion providing the majority of beam acceleration (81 of 96 RF cavities are super conducting). Operationally, the goal is to achieve the highest possible beam energy by maximizing SCL cavity RF gradients, but not at the expense of cavity reliability. One mechanism that has negatively impacted both SCL cavity RF gradients and reliability is beam lost into the SCL due to malfunctions of upstream components. Understanding the sources and impacts of errant beam on SCL cavity performance will be discussed.
