Accelerator
This week RFQ conditioning commenced in the normal conducting linac (NCL), according to plan. Starting with low RF power sent from the klystron in the normal conducting gallery, via the waveguide distribution system and to the cavities inside the RFQ, tests with full 3 MW RF power will follow during a six-week RFQ conditioning window.
Water manifolds have been installed for the first Drift Tube Linac tank, which is now ready to be installed in the tunnel in August.
Target cantilever roof
Adjustment works to the cantilever roof structure continue. This includes touch-up painting, movement joints, closing of gaps, adjusting the height and adding additional steel. Cladding with panels of aluminium lamellas has been performed on the north roof structure above the Beamline Gallery roof, and will continue throughout the summer.
Target Entrance
Internal finishes are ongoing in the Target Entrance building, where the ESS main control room will be located. Staircases have been equipped with terrazzo flooring and handrails, whilst painting is ongoing. Glass partition walls are in place for the meeting rooms on the bottom floor, as well as in the main control room area on first floor level. Bathrooms and showers are fully equipped, and kitchenette installations are ongoing.
NMX control hutch
Construction of the NMX control hutch continues. The prefab building has two floors – the bottom floor will be used for sample preparation. On mezzanine level – the roof level of the control hutch – HVAC equipment and racks for the NMX cave will be placed.
Electrical installations
Installation of electrical distribution boards is ongoing, with eight cabinets in place in the Experimental Hall and in the Beamline Gallery. These will feed electrical power to the instrument caves.
Neutron shielding bunker
The curved wall segment for the north sector bunker inside Experimental Hall 2 is in place. It consists of two rows of stacked and overlapping heavy concrete shielding blocks, placed in a 15-metre radius from the target.
Installation of the last curved bunker wall, for the east sector of the bunker inside Experimental Hall 1, will start in July. At the same time, installation will take place for the first part of the Selene neutron guide for instrument ESTIA, a focusing reflectometer for small samples which is delivered as part of the Swiss in-kind contribution to ESS, via the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI).
There are four sectors of the bunker surrounding the Target Monolith, with the bunker cavity housing the first few meters of all 15 instruments. Every piece of this enormous lego puzzle with more than 1,000 pieces has a unique identifier and set location.
Skanska Civil works
The distribution of 67, 000 m3 soil and clay from a mass balance storage area next to F03 Logistics Centre to a former parking lot and a construction site logistics area is completed. Next, a hilly landscape will be formed here.
