Experimental Halls
DREAM
Installation of the experimental cave structure for the instrument DREAM has started in Experimental Hall 1. Precast concrete blocks have been lifted in place for the first layer of walls, to be filled with in-situ cast concrete. Scaffolding is in place to facilitate the mounting of the next level of blocks.
DREAM is a powder diffractometer instrument that will enable new physics and chemistry research, serving areas such as nano-science, energy and battery materials, and complex magnetic structures. DREAM is realised through in-kind contributions from the Jülich research centre in Germany and Laboratoire Léon Brillouin in France.
ODIN
Preparations are under way to start the works on site for the ODIN instrument, located next to DREAM. Installation of lower shielding blocks close to the bunker will mark the start of these works, to be followed by construction of the control hutch and cave later this spring.
NSS bunker
The bunker crane girder for the northwest side of the Target Monolith was delivered in the days between Christmas and New Year’s. Following installation, a Site Acceptance Test (SAT) was performed on Thursday 13 January. Mounting of the first layer of roof elements for the neutron shielding bunker will start in the next couple of weeks.
Installation of the bunker crane on the other side of the Monolith will follow shortly.
Meanwhile, electrical infrastructure installations have started inside the bunker area. Brackets and cable trays are currently subject to mounting.
Target
Delivery for the Hydrogen Distribution System
A cryogenic valve box for the hydrogen cooling system for the target moderators has been delivered to ESS. It will be placed in a triangular room in the adjacent Accelerator to Target (A2T) building. Distribution lines will connect the valve box to the cooling loops around the moderators, and transfer lines will also be installed to the cryogenic moderator system’s cryostat in the hydrogen room on the top floor of the A2T building.
Fitting of over-pressure vents is in progress for the external wall to the hydrogen room.
Accelerator
Linac tunnel
After having successfully completed the first phase of the beam commissioning from the ion source to MEBT faraday cup, works are now underway to prepare for the coming phase of commissioning to include the first drift tube linac tank (DTL1). The tank itself is in place in the tunnel, the water skid is installed and RF power sources on the gallery side are being prepared for conditioning. The physical installation of the DTL1 faraday cup is planned for next week.
In the spokes section of the linac, the installation of header units (interconnecting piping between valve boxes) for the cryogenic distribution system is ongoing. The first few out of a total 13 units are in place, awaiting final alignment, for welding works to follow.
Infrastructure installation works, including cable pulling and terminations, progress in the medium and high beta sections of the Accelerator tunnel and gallery.
Cryomodule testing
The second serial-produced medium beta elliptical cryomodule has completed its test cycle inside a test stand bunker. Shortly, the next cryomodule in line will be connected to radio-frequency sources and cryogenic helium piping from the coldbox hall, with power and cooling tests to follow.
