LANSCE 201.25 MHz drift tube linac RF power status
The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center linac provides high power proton beams for neutron science, tritium target development, nuclear physics, material science, isotope production, and weapons research. Number of simultaneous beam users places heavy demands on the RF powerplant, espcially the 201.25 MHz power amplifiers (PA) driving four drift tube linac cavities. Designed nearly 30 years ago, these amplifiers have operated at up to 3 Megawatts with duty factors of 12%. The number of power tubes, age of cooling and control subsystems, tube manufacturing problems, and operation near maximum PA tube ratings have all affected system reliability. By monitoring final power amplifier plate dissipation and tube vcauum, improved operating procedures have raised RF system reliability above 95% for operation periods in 1993-95. Higher beam current for a proposed Long Pulse Spallation Source (LPSS) cannot be delivered simultaneously with other beams at high duty factor, however. Plans are underway to develop a new final power amplifier which can use low-level RF modulations for amplitude control. With only a few power tubes, the system will deliver high peak power and duty factor, with improved DC to RF efficiency, and a simplified cooling system.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 378690
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-96-2949; CONF-9608123-12; ON: DE96014821
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 18. international linac conference, Geneva (Switzerland), 26-30 Aug 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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