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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

High Power Radiofrequency Operation of the Radiofrequency Quadrupoles in the Spallation Neutron Source

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) recently took delivery of a third Radiofrequency Quadrupole (RFQ03) that will ultimately be installed on the front-end (FE) of the SNS Linac. The first RFQ (RFQ01) operated in the SNS FE for more than a decade before being replaced with the second RFQ (RFQ02). RFQ01 was relocated to the Beam Test Facility (BTF) where it operated for five more years. The RFQ02 was initially installed in the BTF for high power testing and used with H- beam for BTF operation. It replaced RFQ01 in the SNS FE in 2017 and has been operating for beam production since then. There are some differences between the three RFQs. RFQ01 has a square cross-section with pi-mode stabilizing loops (PISLs) with the structure being fabricated using two layers of materials, GlidCop outside and OFHC inside. RFQ02 and RFQ03 has an octagonal cross-section with end-wall stabilizer rods and was fabricated using OFHC only. RFQ01 suffered some field flatness distortion incidents that resulted in degradation in beam transmission efficiency and required RF tuning. RFQ02 has performed well but had a melted RF seal in the high energy end wall, that was ultimately mitigated by a redesign of the end flange seals. The SNS decided to order RFQ03 that has a design that followed that of RFQ02 closely, but end-wall contacts were modified to prevent RF seal failure. This report presents the testing, installation, high power RF operation, and design improvements of the RFQ03.

Ren, Haitao↗
DOE OSTI2014

A comparison of four direct geometry time-of-flight spectrometers at the Spallation Neutron Source

The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory now hosts four direct geometry time-of-flight chopper spectrometers. These instruments cover a range of wave-vector and energy transfer space with varying degrees of neutron flux and resolution. The regions of reciprocal and energy space available to measure at these instruments are not exclusive and overlap significantly. We present a direct comparison of the capabilities of this instrumentation, conducted by data mining the instrument usage histories, and specific scanning regimes. In addition, one of the common science missions for these instruments is the study of magnetic excitations in condensed matter systems. We have measured the powder averaged spin wave spectra in one particular sample using each of these instruments, and use these data in our comparisons.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗
DOE OSTI2013

Optimizing moderator dimensions for neutron scattering at the spallation neutron source

In this work, we investigate the effect of neutron moderator dimensions on the performance of neutron scattering instruments at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). In a recent study of the planned second target station at the SNS facility, we have found that the dimensions of a moderator play a significant role in determining its surface brightness. A smaller moderator may be significantly brighter over a smaller viewing area. One of the immediate implications of this finding is that for modern neutron scattering instrument designs, moderator dimensions and brightness have to be incorporated as an integrated optimization parameter. Here, we establish a strategy of matching neutron scattering instruments with moderators using analytical and Monte Carlo techniques. In order to simplify our treatment, we group the instruments into two broad categories: those with natural collimation and those that use neutron guide systems. For instruments using natural collimation, the optimal moderator selection depends on the size of the moderator, the sample, and the moderator brightness. The desired beam divergence only plays a role in determining the distance between sample and moderator. For instruments using neutron optical systems, the smallest moderator available that is larger than the entrance dimension of the closest optical element will perform the best (assuming, as is the case here that smaller moderators are brighter)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2011

Stripper foil failure modes and cures at the Oak Rdige Spallation Neutron Source

The Oak Ridge Spallation Neutron Source comprises a 1 GeV, 1.5 MW linear accelerator followed by an accumulator ring and a liquid mercury target. To manage the beam loss caused by the H{sup 0} excited states created during the H{sup -} charge-exchange injection into the accumulator ring, the stripper foil is located inside one of the chicane dipoles. This has some interesting consequences that were not fully appreciated until the beam power reached about 840 kW. One consequence was sudden failure of the stripper foil system due to convoy electrons stripped from the incoming H{sup -} beam, which circled around to strike the foil bracket and cause bracket failure. Another consequence is that convoy electrons can reflect back up from the electron catcher and strike the foil and bracket. An additional contributor to foil system failure is vacuum breakdown due to the charge developed on the foil by secondary electron emission. In this paper we detail these and other interesting failure mechanisms and describe the improvements we have made to mitigate them.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2012

Simulation of H{sup -} ion source extraction systems for the Spallation Neutron Source with Ion Beam Simulator

A three-dimensional ion optical code IBSimu, which is being developed at University of Jyvaeskylae, features positive and negative ion plasma extraction models and self-consistent space charge calculation. The code has been utilized for modeling the existing extraction system of the H{sup -} ion source of the Spallation Neutron Source. Simulation results are in good agreement with experimental data. A high-current extraction system with downstream electron dumping at intermediate energy has been designed. According to the simulations it provides lower emittance compared to the baseline system at H{sup -} currents exceeding 40 mA. A magnetic low energy beam transport section consisting of two solenoids has been designed to transport the beam from the alternative electrostatic extraction systems to the radio frequency quadrupole.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

Note: Detector collimators for the nanoscale ordered materials diffractometer instrument at the Spallation Neutron Source

Five neutron collimator designs were constructed and tested at the nanoscale ordered materials diffractometer (NOMAD) instrument. Collimators were made from High Density PolyEthylene (HDPE) or 5% borated HDPE. In all cases, collimators improved the signal to background ratio and reduced detection of secondary scattering. In the Q-range 10-20 Å{sup −1}, signal to background ratio improved by factors of approximately 1.6 and 2.0 for 50 and 100 mm deep collimators, respectively. In the Q-range 40-50 Å{sup −1}, the improvement factors were 1.8 and 2.7. Secondary scattering as measured at Q ∼ 9.5 Å{sup −1} was significantly decreased when the collimators were installed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Recent performance of and plasma outage studies with the SNS H{sup −} source

Spallation Neutron Source ramps to higher power levels that can be sustained with high availability. The goal is 1.4 MW despite a compromised radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ), which requires higher radio frequency power than design levels to approach the nominal beam transmission. Unfortunately at higher power the RFQ often loses its thermal stability, a problem apparently enhanced by beam losses and high influxes of hydrogen. Delivering as much H{sup −} beam as possible with the least amount of hydrogen led to plasma outages. The root cause is the dense 1-ms long ∼55-kW 2-MHz plasma pulses reflecting ∼90% of the continuous ∼300 W, 13-MHz power, which was mitigated with a 4-ms filter for the reflected power signal and an outage resistant, slightly detuned 13-MHz match. Lowering the H{sub 2} gas also increased the H{sup −} beam current to ∼55 mA and increased the RFQ transmission by ∼7% (relative)

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2018

Neutronics Analyses for the Spallation Neutron Source Second Target Station

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), two of the word-class neutron scattering facilities, are located at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The SNS and HFIR are funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Science, and are operated as user facilities, available to researchers from all over the world. Currently there are thirteen neutron scattering instruments in operation at the HFIR and twenty at the SNS First Target Station.Producing the cutting edge science requires continuous improvements and development of the facilities and instruments. The SNS was designed from the beginning to allow addition of the Second Target Station (STS), and an upgrade of the accelerator power. At this time both advances: the accelerator upgrade and the construction of the STS are in preparation.Current baseline design for the STS calls for a rotating compact tungsten target. The target station is driven with short (<1 μs) proton pulses at 10 Hz repetition rate and 467 kW proton beam power, and is optimized for high intensity and high resolution long wavelength neutron applications. The proton beam footprint as small as acceptable from the mechanical and heat removal aspects is planned to generate a compact-volume neutron production zone in the target, which is essential for tight coupling of the target and the moderators and for achieving high-intensity peak thermal and cold neutron fluxes. The STS will allow operation of approximately 22 beamlines and will expand and complement the current national neutron scattering capabilities.This paper will present an update of the status of the neutronics analyses performed for the STS and will discuss the performance of the moderators, heating rates, activation analyses, and shielding calculations which provide input in the engineering design.

Remec, Igor↗
DOE OSTI2011

The new cold neutron chopper spectrometer at the Spallation Neutron Source: Design and performance

The design and performance of the new cold neutron chopper spectrometer (CNCS) at the Spallation Neutron Source in Oak Ridge are described. CNCS is a direct-geometry inelastic time-of-flight spectrometer, designed essentially to cover the same energy and momentum transfer ranges as IN5 at ILL, LET at ISIS, DCS at NIST, TOFTOF at FRM-II, AMATERAS at J-PARC, PHAROS at LANSCE, and NEAT at HZB, at similar energy resolution. Measured values of key figures such as neutron flux at sample position and energy resolution are compared between measurements and ray tracing Monte Carlo simulations, and good agreement (better than 20% of absolute numbers) has been achieved. The instrument performs very well in the cold and thermal neutron energy ranges, and promises to become a workhorse for the neutron scattering community for quasielastic and inelastic scattering experiments.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

Conceptual moderator studies for the Spallation Neutron Source short-pulse second target station

Candidate moderator configurations for a short-pulse second target station (STS) at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) have been identified using a global optimizer framework built around the MCNPX particle transport code. Neutron brightness metrics were selected as the figure-of-merit. We assumed that STS would use one out of six proton pulses produced by an SNS accelerator upgraded to operate at 1.3 GeV proton energy, 2.8 MW power and 60 Hz repetition rate. The simulations indicate that the peak brightness can be increased by a factor of 5 and 2.5 on a per proton pulse basis compared to the SNS first target station for both coupled and decoupled para-hydrogen moderators, respectively. Additional increases by factors of 3 and 2 were demonstrated for coupled and decoupled moderators, respectively, by reducing the area of neutron emission from 100 × 100 mm{sup 2} to 20 × 20 mm{sup 2}. This increase in brightness has the potential to translate to an increase of beam intensity at the instruments’ sample positions even though the total neutron emission of the smaller moderator is less than that of the larger. This is especially true for instruments with small samples (beam dimensions). The increased fluxes in the STS moderators come at accelerated poison and de-coupler burnout and higher radiation-induced material damage rates per unit power, which overall translate into lower moderator lifetimes. A first effort was undertaken to group decoupled moderators into a cluster collectively positioning them at the peak neutron production zone in the target and having a three-port neutron emission scheme that complements that of a cylindrical coupled moderator.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Accelerating Data Acquisition, Reduction, and Analysis at the Spallation Neutron Source

ORNL operates the world's brightest neutron source, the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS). Funded by the US DOE Office of Basic Energy Science, this national user facility hosts hundreds of scientists from around the world, providing a platform to enable break-through research in materials science, sustainable energy, and basic science. While the SNS provides scientists with advanced experimental instruments, the deluge of data generated from these instruments represents both a big data challenge and a big data opportunity. For example, instruments at the SNS can now generate multiple millions of neutron events per second providing unprecedented experiment fidelity but leaving the user with a dataset that cannot be processed and analyzed in a timely fashion using legacy techniques. To address this big data challenge, ORNL has developed a near real-time streaming data reduction and analysis infrastructure. The Accelerating Data Acquisition, Reduction, and Analysis (ADARA) system provides a live streaming data infrastructure based on a high-performance publish subscribe system, in situ data reduction, visualization, and analysis tools, and integration with a high-performance computing and data storage infrastructure. ADARA allows users of the SNS instruments to analyze their experiment as it is run and make changes to the experiment in real-time and visualize the results of these changes. In this paper we describe ADARA, provide a high-level architectural overview of the system, and present a set of use-cases and real-world demonstrations of the technology.

Campbell, Stuart I↗
DOE OSTI2012

Design and operation of the wide angular-range chopper spectrometer ARCS at the Spallation Neutron Source

The wide angular-range chopper spectrometer ARCS at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is optimized to provide a high neutron flux at the sample position with a large solid angle of detector coverage. The instrument incorporates modern neutron instrumentation, such as an elliptically focused neutron guide, high speed magnetic bearing choppers, and a massive array of {sup 3}He linear position sensitive detectors. Novel features of the spectrometer include the use of a large gate valve between the sample and detector vacuum chambers and the placement of the detectors within the vacuum, both of which provide a window-free final flight path to minimize background scattering while allowing rapid changing of the sample and sample environment equipment. ARCS views the SNS decoupled ambient temperature water moderator, using neutrons with incident energy typically in the range from 15 to 1500 meV. This range, coupled with the large detector coverage, allows a wide variety of studies of excitations in condensed matter, such as lattice dynamics and magnetism, in both powder and single-crystal samples. Comparisons of early results to both analytical and Monte Carlo simulation of the instrument performance demonstrate that the instrument is operating as expected and its neutronic performance is understood. ARCS is currently in the SNS user program and continues to improve its scientific productivity by incorporating new instrumentation to increase the range of science covered and improve its effectiveness in data collection.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2017

A New 2.5 MeV Injector and Beam Test Facility for the Spallation Neutron Source

The U.S. Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) now operates with 1.2 MW of beam power on target with the near-term goal of delivering 1.4 MW and a longer-term goal of delivering >2 MW to support a planned second target station. Presently, H- beam pulses (50-60 mA, 1 ms, 60 Hz) from an RF-driven, Cs-enhanced, multi-cusp ion source are first accelerated to 2.5 MeV by a Radio Frequency Quadrupole (RFQ) accelerator, injected into a ~1 GeV linac, compressed to <1μs in an accumulator ring and ultimately delivered to a liquid mercury target for pulsed neutron production. In recent years concerns about the RFQ performance has motivated the procurement of a new RFQ and the creation of a Beam Test Facility (BTF) to allow off-line testing. The purpose of the BTF is to first validate performance of the new RFQ before installing it in place of the existing RFQ and later to serve as a stand-alone 2.5 MeV research accelerator employing the original SNS RFQ. After validating the new RFQ with respect to energy, emittance and transmission, the initial applications of the BTF will be to conduct 6D beam dynamic studies, develop & demonstrate ion sources capable of meeting the current and future requirements of the SNS, and contribute to neutron moderator development. This report provides a facility update, description of the BTF ion source systems as well as a discussion of the first LEBT and RFQ beam current measurements performed at the BTF.REFERENCES

Welton, Robert F.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Event-based processing of neutron scattering data at the Spallation Neutron Source

Here, the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA, ushered in a new era of neutron scattering experiments through the use of event-based data. Tagging each neutron event allows pump–probe experiments, measurements with a parameter asynchronous to the source, measurements with continuously varying parameters and novel ways of testing instrument components. This contribution will focus on a few examples. A pulsed magnet has been used to study diffraction under extreme fields. Continuous ramping of temperature is becoming standard on the POWGEN diffractometer. Battery degradation and phase transformations under heat and stress are often studied on the VULCAN diffractometer. Supercooled Al 2 O 3 was studied on NOMAD. A study of a metallic glass through its glass transition was performed on the ARCS spectrometer, and the effect of source variation on chopper stability was studied for the SEQUOIA spectrometer. Besides a summary of these examples, an overview is provided of the hardware and software advances to enable these and many other event-based measurements.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Residual Stress Measurements of Front Window Welds in a Prototypical Spallation Neutron Source Target Module

Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) target modules are fabricated from 316L stainless steel by welding together sections of machined components using electron beam welding. The failure of the tenth operational SNS target (Target 10) at an electron beam weld prompted an investigation into the residual stress remaining in the weld joint after joining to determine if welding procedures for SNS target fabrication produce detrimental residual stresses in or near the welds. Due to an issue with fabrication, the front section of an SNS target was removed from fabrication and made available for residual stress measurements. The residual stresses in an electron beam weld joining the front window and front body of the target prototype was measured at several locations near EBW2 weld between outer window and front body using the VUCLAN instrument. Different stress free d hkl 0 methods were used to calculated the residual strain and residual stress. Furthermore, the results show tensile residual stress up to 350MPa along the weld direction which peaked at weld location.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Conceptual Design for Replacement of the DTL and CCL with Superconducting RF Cavities in the Spallation Neutron Source Linac

The Spallation Neutron Source Linac utilizes normal conducting RF cavities in the low energy section from 2.5 MeV to 186 MeV. Six Drift Tube Linac (DTL) structures accelerate the beam to 87 MeV, and four Coupled Cavity Linac (CCL) structures provide further acceleration to 186 MeV. The remainder of the Linac is comprised of 81 superconducting cavities packaged in 23 cryomodules to provide final beam energy of approximately 1 GeV. The superconducting Linac has proven to be substantially more reliable than the normal conducting Linac despite the greater number of stations and the complexity associated with the cryogenic plant and distribution. A conceptual design has been initiated on a replacement of the DTL and CCL with superconducting RF cavities. The motivation, constraints, and conceptual design are presented.

Champion, Mark S↗