JÜLICH: The ESS Council gathered for its 17th meeting in Germany on 4-5 December at Jülich Research Centre - one of the in-kind partners of ESS. The meeting was attended by 55 participants representing ESS and its 13 member countries.
According to ESS Director General, John Womersley, the "outcome of the ESS Council meeting was constructive and the decisions that have been made, underpin the successful installation work to come in preparation for first science in 2023".
The coming year will see the most intensive period yet for the construction of ESS in Lund, Sweden. In addition to construction activities and the ongoing work on-site, delicate and challenging technical work is underway at ESS partner laboratories and institutes around Europe who are responsible for developing and delivering a multitude of in-kind contributions.
During the rest of 2019, and continuing in 2020, many essential in-kind components will be delivered to the ESS site for installation and commissioning.
ESS is now more that 62% complete
ESS management presented the current status and the progress of the project. During the Autumn this year, focus has continued to shift toward installation of equipment, and a new focused organisation structure has been implemented with a strengthened Project Management organisation.
The project is proceeding as planned, now more than 62% complete with 12 of the facility’s 26 buildings completed and handed over to ESS.
- The largest Instrument Hall has been handed over to ESS and preparations for installation are ongoing.
- The Data Management & Software Centre has inaugurated the data hall in Copenhagen.
- The steelwork erection for the Target building high-bay is underway, as is the ESS Campus with offices and laboratories. By close of November, all 65,000 cubic metres of concrete works was completed.
- The completion and delivery of accelerator hardware from in-kind contributors in France, Italy and elsewhere has continued.
- The Ion source and Low Energy Beam Transport are now commissioned and operating, while the Medium Energy Beam Transport is installed.
- The RFQ is in place and is to be commissioned, while the DTL, also received, is being integrated.
- The RF waveguide installation is complete in the stubs to the accelerator tunnel.
- The detailed design for the neutron instruments proceeds and 15 instruments are moving into construction via our in-kind partners.
Moving forward
The Council discussions on the Initial Operations plan for the full period leading up to steady state operations in 2025 progressed well and will continue during the year ahead. During the meeting, The ESS Council approved the 2020 budget, providing a continued sustainable foundation for developing the long-term stewardship of the facility.
Research Center Jülich
The Research Center is one of the in-kind partners of the ESS, and is leading and building instruments, and assembling the moderator-reflector system for ESS, in collaboration with other in-kind partners. It is a large-scale national research facility in the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres.