MEMORANDUM

To: J. Cook, D. Helms, W. Skinner

cc: Division (M7), FEL Coordination Group

From: F. Dylla

Subject: IR Demo Project Weekly Report, December 8-12, 1997

Date: December 12, 1997

Management

Highlights for the week include: (1) completion of all preliminary alignment activities for the wiggler/optical cavity section; (2) completion of all vacuum connections from the exit of the linac cryomodule through the straight-ahead dump; and (3) initial vacuum checks of this entire sector.

Feedback from DOE-BES reviewers was distributed to the 11 principal investigators who have submitted preproposals for using the IR Demo for basic science studies. Five of the 11 proposal teams have been asked to submit full proposals to the BES Program Office. The focus of next month's (14-15 Jan 98) LPC Workshop will be presentations from most of the proposal teams.

On Tuesday, 9 Dec. 97, two staff members from the Congressional Energy and Water Resources Committee visited the Laboratory for tours and discussions, including a tour of the FEL Facility.

On Wednesday, 10 Dec. 97, the third meeting of SURA's Maritime Technical Advisory Committee was held at the Laboratory. The focus of the meeting was two-fold: (1) a progress report on the IR Demo commissioning, and (2) the plan for experimental use of the Demo including various Navy interests.

Installation Activities

The two replacement vacuum valves that protect the cryomodule were shipped from VAT in Switzerland on Wednesday, not last Friday as had been hoped. As of noon today, they were still in Customs in Memphis, TN, and are to come directly to us from there. We now anticipate receipt Monday morning, with installation slated for late Tuesday, followed by cryomodule cooldown. Commissioning activities with beam would then resume Wednesday.

All vacuum connections through the straight-ahead dump have been made, and initial vacuum checks have taken place. This first-light beamline will be pumped down as soon as the cryomodule valves are replaced.

Necessary modifications of the sulfur hexafluoride and nitrogen lines were completed this week.

All of the QG quadrupole magnets in the beamline between the cryomodule and the straight-ahead dump line are now installed, and they are being tested this afternoon. The CEBAF-spare air-core corrector magnets are being installed today in this beamline and in the straight-ahead dump line.

The remaining components for the optical cavity (minus the mirrors) were installed and the cavity was pumped down. A small leak in one section is being repaired today.

All of the viewers in the beamline between the cryomodule and the straight-ahead dump line are now installed and tested. The viewers preserved their alignment during pumpdown of the optical cavity. The wiggler is scheduled to be removed Monday so as not to be damaged by stray beam during commissioning.

Commissioning Activities

A detailed schedule of shift assignments and tasks was developed to take us from the time of valve installation (see above) to Christmas. The schedule preserves the primary goal of getting tuneup beam to the straight-ahead dump before Christmas. The last day shift of installation before Christmas will be on Wednesday, 17 Dec. 97, after which we will run around the clock through 23 Dec. 97.

There has been considerable commissioning activity not involving beam. The optical transport system leading from the wiggler area to the optical control room was pumped down and taken through its first tests with a surrogate laser beam. The pipe was found to be leak-tight, but the beam was seen to wander. The bellows leading into the mirror cans were stiffened, and a retest is scheduled for this evening. Further RF commissioning is continuing on the injector cryounit to enhance the stability of its operation. The source of the 2.7 dB miscalibration discussed in preceding weekly reports was identified and confirmed to be only a matter of downloading to the control screen, meaning the gradients measured during SRF commissioning stand as reported earlier (12 MV/m and 8.5 MV/m for the entrance and exit cavities, respectively). The problem was slated to be fixed this afternoon.