12 GeV Updates

15 December 2016

Hall C: With the arrival of the Q3 magnet early this month, all of the major components of the Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS) are now on site. Two days after it was delivered, Q3 was in its cradle on the spectrometer carriage and the iron yoke had been reassembled around it. Its fully-installed twin, Q2, which arrived two months earlier, is undergoing power tests at increasing currents. To date, it has been successfully operated at more than 90 percent of the anticipated operations current.

Visiting staff from the French magnet factory finished splicing the superconducting current leads on the Dipole magnet in Hall C last week. Jefferson Lab welders are now closing up the cryogenic piping between the magnet cryostat and the service vessel above it. Clam-shell sections of large helium pipes have been welded in place around the current leads and instrumentation wires. Over the next several weeks the Dipole magnet will undergo a series of leak and pressure tests as successive layers of pipes and insulation are put in place.

The reconfigured quartz-bar hodoscope is back in place in the SHMS detector stack. The final SHMS detector, the Noble-Gas Cerenkov Counter (NGC), will be installed as soon as the Dipole magnet work is further advanced. A test-installation of the NGC was performed recently to verify that it mates correctly with its mounting frame.

7 December 2016

The last of the six Region 3 Drift Chamber sectors for CLAS12 have been installed into the Torus magnet. The six Region 1 Drift Chamber sectors and the six Region 2 Drift Chamber sectors were installed into the Torus magnet previously. Work is proceeding to wire up the low-voltage and high-voltage supplies for these detectors and to prepare the manifolds for the chamber gas. The work on the slow controls for all the drift chamber systems is also nearing completion, in preparation for system testing next month.

30 November 2016

In Hall C, the Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS) Q2 magnet has been completely installed, connected, purged and filled with liquid helium. Low-power testing commenced on Nov. 23. The Dipole magnet has been lowered to its final position. The front wall of the shield house was installed over the Dipole, and a work platform has been erected above. Alignment of the Dipole's cryogenic control reservoir on the roof of the shield house is ongoing. Experts from the magnet manufacturer are on site to make the final superconducting connections between the current leads and the magnet coil. The last SHMS magnet, Q3, has left Europe on a ship headed to Norfolk. It is expected to arrive during the first week of December.

Reorganization of the Hall C SHMS quartz-bar hodoscope detector elements is finished. This activity placed the bars with the best photomultiplier tubes in positions near the middle of the array. Such a configuration will allow the timely demonstration of the detector performance needed to meet the 12 GeV Project construction milestone. Gas is flowing through the installed drift chambers and all connections to them are complete.

In Hall B, the five coils of the Solenoid magnet were joined into one assembly by suspending the bobbin with the four Inner and Intermediate coils inside the Shield coil bobbin. The several hundred copper "cooling fingers" are now being attached between the three radial sections of the overall coil, forming the main path to conduct heat to the helium reservoir. The inner and outer surfaces of the coil have been covered in reflective aluminum tape. Planning for shipping the Solenoid to Jefferson Lab is now underway, including design of the shipping cradle and isolation springs needed for the road trip to Virginia.

Hall B continues to install the region 3 drift chambers with five of the six in place. Part 2 of the Director's Review of the Hall B Installation and Commissioning plan was held on Monday, Nov. 21. The committee recognized the progress made to optimize the schedule for the remaining work. However, the committee raised concerns about the current staffing level and encouraged leveraging all efforts to further advance the schedule.

9 November 2016

Last week was very productive for the 12 GeV Upgrade project, with major achievements realized in both Halls B and C. In Hall B, the energization of the Torus magnet achieved full current of 3,770 Amps on Friday afternoon, Nov. 4. Mapping of the magnet field then commenced, and, once complete, the Torus will be powered down and installation of the remaining detectors will restart.

In Hall C, while the Q2 magnet was being prepared for service on the Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS), Jefferson Lab staff and university collaborators installed the drift chambers on the detector stand within the SHMS shield house. The Physics Division convened the Experiment Readiness Review committee to examine Q2 and the other two magnets (Q3 and Dipole) coming from the same vendor. The committee assessed the design, fabrication, installation, protection systems and operational procedures for the magnets, and concluded that these support safe and efficient magnet operation.

The Dipole magnet was delivered to Jefferson Lab and installed on the SHMS carriage. Due to the weight of the Dipole, the in-house crane was inadequate and special preparation was required. The subcontractor who transported the Dipole from the Norfolk port to the site had to provide a mobile crane capable of handling the load; this was anticipated and a custom lift plan was approved well in advance. The crane was carefully maneuvered inside Hall C. The crane lift path took it across the SHMS structure, which required several handrail sections to be removed to provide clearance. The Dipole was placed on the lower yoke without incident. Hall C staff completed installation of the upper yoke steel and strong-back around the magnet.

Because of its size, the Dipole could not be fully assembled prior to shipment to the lab. The final connection to its cryogenic control reservoir will now begin in the hall. With two of the three Hall C superconducting magnets built in France now installed, work will continue with the acceptance tests and commissioning. Also, during the first week of November, the Q3 magnet was wrapped, crated and shipped out from the factory in France. This, the last of the five SHMS magnets, is now on its way to Jefferson Lab.

2 November 2016

At the request of DOE's Office of Nuclear Physics, Stephen Meador, Director of the Office of Project Assessment in DOE's Office of Science, convened a team of 10 experts and eight observers for a Status Review of the 12 GeV CEBAF Upgrade Project at Jefferson Lab, held Oct. 25-26. The purpose of the review was to assess all ongoing aspects of the project, including technical, cost, schedule, management, and environment, safety and health. The review team provided valuable feedback in all areas, with a total of six recommendations in the closeout report. The committee enthusiastically congratulated all team members working in support of the 12 GeV Upgrade on the significant amount of work completed since a similar review last October and was supportive of the team's planned approach to completing the project on schedule and cost.

19 October 2016

The tooling to install the Central Time of Flight for CLAS12 has been delivered. These are the final items of tooling and installation fixtures for the Central Time of Flight, or for any CLAS12 detector on the 12 GeV Project, for that matter; the order includes the installation arm and transport strong-back needed to install CTOF slats into the Solenoid magnet bore. A contract was awarded for the tungsten-based Moeller-electron shield, which is needed to shield the downstream detectors in CLAS12 from that source of background hits. On the installation front, the six Region 2 Drift Chamber sectors have been installed into the Torus magnet, a few weeks after the six Region 1 Drift Chamber sectors were installed into the Torus magnet. Work is proceeding to wire up the low-voltage and high-voltage supplies for these and to prepare the manifolds for the chamber gas. The Region 3 Drift Chambers will be installed once the Torus magnet is tested at high current and then field-mapped.

12 October 2016

After a brief delay in Halifax, the ship bearing the French-built Q2 magnet for the Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS) finally arrived in Norfolk last week. Representatives of Jefferson Lab and the vendor SigmaPhi greeted the magnet at the sea terminal in Norfolk, where it was uncrated and loaded on a lowboy truck for transport to Jefferson Lab. Q2 arrived on the floor of Hall C on Thursday. After passing an incoming inspection, it was promptly surveyed and mounted on the SHMS carriage. Work is now proceeding to connect the magnet to its services and to prepare for its consideration by the Physics Division Experiment Readiness Review committee. The coming weeks will be very busy as Q2 is instrumented and prepared for operation. The second French magnet, the large Dipole, is in Belgium awaiting a ship that will carry it to the U.S. The final new Hall C magnet, Q3, is undergoing final assembly in France and is expected to begin its journey early next month.

5 October 2016

The Torus magnet for CLAS12 has been cooled down to 5 Kelvin in the coils. Tuning of the cryogenic circuits is ongoing to establish stable helium levels in the magnets, and final interlock checkout is underway. Once this is complete, then the first tests with current are planned, starting with up to 10 percent of the design current to check that the magnet is indeed superconducting and the field is as expected. Further tests will then ramp to successively higher currents, followed by a map at full current of the field near the hub in each of the six sectors.

The two splices connecting the first and third, and the second and fourth, of the four "Field" coils of the CLAS12 Solenoid have been made and then clamped in place with G-10 and thermally anchored using copper cooling blocks to the coil thermal mass to insure the splices themselves are superconducting. The helium piping, including supply, return and quench piping, is now being welded in place. This is the last step in fabricating the bobbin carrying the four field coils of the Solenoid. The fifth, or "Shield", coil for the Solenoid is complete and has the preparatory work needed to splice it to the first four coils also complete. The Shield coil is suspended in the specialized tooling used to mate it with the first four coils for the Solenoid. In this next, major step, the five coils are joined into one assembly by suspending the bobbin with the four Inner and Intermediate coils inside of the bobbin for the Shield coil. This "cold mass" assembly is then covered with a radiation screen and multi-layer insulation before being placed inside the cryostat for the Solenoid. Planning for shipping the Solenoid to Jefferson Lab is now underway, including the design of the shipping cradle and isolation springs needed for the road trip to Virginia.

Hall C is waiting for the Q2 magnet to arrive. Once the magnet has arrived, it will be uncrated and loaded on a low-boy trailer for transport to Jefferson Lab. The magnet will be placed on the Super High Momentum Spectrometer platform, where it will undergo acceptance testing, final installation and commissioning.

29 September 2016

One of the superconducting magnets built in France for the Hall C Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS) is now crossing the North Atlantic by ship and is expected to arrive in Norfolk by the end of September. This "Q2" magnet will be delivered to Jefferson Lab, outfitted with survey marks, and placed on the SHMS carriage for connection to the cryogenic, power and controls systems.

The leak that was discovered in the dipole magnet helium system in July has now been repaired. The dipole was cut open to access the faulty component, and it has since been welded closed. The magnet is being crated for shipment to the U.S. now.

The last magnet, Q3, is in the final assembly phase. More work has taken place in Hall C and the Experimental Staging Building to verify the performance of the new detectors. One of the SHMS drift chambers is already mounted on the frame which will support it in the SHMS.

7 September 2016

The tooling to install the steel shields on the photomultiplier tubes of the CLAS12 Central Time of Flight detector has been delivered. These are the first items to appear from a final order of tooling and installation fixtures for the CTOF; the balance of the order includes the installation arm and transport strong-back needed to install the detector slats into the Solenoid magnet bore. The remaining fast electronic modules, the crate trigger processors, needed to complete the data acquisition and triggering systems for Hall B, have now all been checked out and are installed in Hall B. Finally, the bids have arrived and are being evaluated for the tungsten-based Moeller-electron shield, which is needed to shield the downstream detectors in CLAS12 from that source of background hits. All six Region 1 Drift Chamber sectors have been installed into the Torus magnet support frames, and the first of six Region 2 sectors of the Drift Chamber are also installed.

24 August 2016

Preparations are almost complete for a Physics Division Experimental Readiness Review (ERR) of the base experimental equipment in Hall C. This review will focus on the operation of all of the equipment in the hall, including those components provided by the 12 GeV Upgrade, although the superconducting magnets are the subject of separate, dedicated reviews.

The helium leak that was found by the manufacturer of the dipole magnet for the Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS) has now been localized. Part of the dipole's outer chimney can had to be cut open in order to gain access to the leak near the bottom weld joint of a bellows. Specialists will determine whether to repair or replace the bellows in the next few days. The SHMS Q2 magnet has been crated and is fully prepared for shipment from France. All transportation authorizations are in place, and the magnet will leave the factory as soon as a temporary road-closure along its travel route has been lifted (expected within one-two weeks). Its reservation on a ship to Norfolk has already been arranged.

11 August 2016

The Torus magnet for CLAS12 has been pumping down the past several weeks and is now circulating cryogens. The pump-down took time because the gas being removed is about 80 percent water vapor, which is known to be slow to evolve from the multi-layer insulation in the vacuum space. This was addressed by using the nitrogen system that normally cools the radiation shields to instead circulate 340 Kelvin nitrogen to warm the MLI and help drive out the water vapor. In parallel, the cryogenics distribution can that serves as interface between the End Station Refrigerator and the two magnets in CLAS12 has been completed and checked, and the four U-tubes connecting it to the Torus Service Tower have been inserted. The second review required prior to the start of cool-down, to examine this cryo can plus all the supporting warm gas piping and vaporizers, has been completed and its recommendations addressed. The last review, to be allowed to energize the Torus, has been held and its recommendations are in the process of being addressed.

The two splices connecting the first and third, and the second and fourth, of the four "Field" coils of the CLAS12 Solenoid have been prepared, now that all the temperature and strain gauges have been added to these coils, after which the helium piping will be welded in place. The fifth, or "Shield", coil for the CLAS12 Solenoid is complete and is suspended in the specialized tooling used to mate it with the first four coils for the Solenoid. In that next major step, the five coils are joined into one assembly by suspending the bobbin with the four Field coils inside the bobbin for the Shield coil. This "cold mass" assembly is then covered with a radiation screen and multi-layer insulation. The final major step in building the Solenoid will involve insertion of this cold mass assembly into the outer vacuum cryostat, the outer shell of which is now at the magnet vendor's site. The two conical parts of the end sections of the cryostat have been formed and welded to their respective cryostat end-plates, and the inner bore tube for the cryostat is prepared.

4 August 2016

Several Super High Momentum Spectrometer user scientists are busy testing and improving the performance of the detectors. The trigger hodoscope detectors, drift chambers and calorimeter are all undergoing checkout. The Quadrupole 2 magnet, still in France, has passed all of its scheduled leak and pressure tests. Assembly of its shipping crate and authorizations from local French authorities for moving from the factory to the seaport are now underway. Hall C is prepared to receive and install Q2 as soon as it arrives. A leak was found in the helium system of the dipole magnet in France during final factory testing. A full diagnosis and repair plan are in development; this will likely delay shipment to Jefferson Lab.

27 July 2016

Hall B is expecting to begin the cool-down of the Torus magnet later this week following closeout of recommendations from the related Experimental Readiness Review (ERR). In anticipation of energizing the magnet following cool-down, the Physics Division convened a power-up ERR last week, and the team is working to address those recommendations. For Hall C, the inspector in France has certified that Quadrupole 2 (Q2) magnet for the Super High Momentum Spectrometer has passed the required leak and pressure tests, and it is certified to meet the ASME pressure vessel safety code requirements. Q2 is expected to be shipped by the vendor in France in mid-August with arrival in Hall C in mid-September.

20 July 2016

The contract to manufacture the downstream support structure for the CLAS12 Central Time of Flight (CTOF) detector, as well as the installation arm and transport strong-back needed to install CTOF slats into the Solenoid magnet bore, has been placed with a local machine shop. These are the last outstanding items needed to wrap up the CLAS12 detector fabrication. The other item needed for the CTOF, the light fiber bundle to distribute monitoring laser light to the CTOF slats, arrived in June and has been checked out. The remaining fast electronic modules, the crate trigger processors, needed to complete the data acquisition system and triggering systems for Hall B have begun to arrive and are being checked as they come in. Finally, bids are being solicited for the tungsten-based Moeller-electron shield, which is needed to shield the downstream detectors in CLAS12 from that source of background hits. On the installation front, the cable race for the drift chamber cables is being installed, and the parts are being collected for the manifolds needed to circulate gas to the 18 sectors of drift chamber. The initial loading of cable into the race starts later this month, followed soon after by installation of the first sectors of drift chambers themselves.

13 July 2016

Hall C staff recently finished installation of the scattering chamber, both of the Super High Momentum Spectrometer sieve-slit stations and of the complete SHMS vacuum system through the first two magnets. Permanent installation of the cryogenic gas lines has advanced as far as possible before the final magnets arrive. These three remaining magnets have experienced good progress recently. The Q2 quadrupole has just passed its pressure tests, and now the thick final welds for the outer vacuum vessel are being made. A preliminary seal weld is in place on the dipole so that it can be pumped-out and undergo its pressure tests in the coming days. Seal welding, pressure testing, and final welding of the Q3 magnet will come next.

29 June 2016

The Hall B CLAS12 Torus magnet has been made leak tight and has been pumping down the past few weeks. Progress is slow but steady as the trapped gas inside the magnet's vacuum space is removed. The gas being removed is about 80 percent water vapor, which is known to be slow to evolve from the multi-layer insulation in the vacuum space. The second review for the Torus cooldown was held on June 27. The in-situ checkout is ongoing for the control logic and instrument readouts for the magnet. Various display, control and alarm screens for operators are being tried out.

The copper cooling strips needed to connect the epoxied surfaces of the two inner coils of the CLAS12 Solenoid have been attached to the helium-filled channel at the center of their winding bobbin. The temperature and strain gauges are being added to the coils. The fifth, or "Shield", coil has completed its epoxy-impregnation step and has subsequently had its full outer layer of copper cooling strips added. The two conical parts of the end sections of the cryostat have been formed and welded, and the inner bore tube for the cryostat is being prepared.

22 June 2016

The first part of the Dipole magnet for the Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS) was delivered to Hall C early in June. The CCR, or Cryogenic Control Reservoir, was fabricated in Illinois but has spent recent years in France, where it has been customized for the dipole by the magnet company, Sigmaphi. This vendor continues to work on sealing and leak-testing all three of the magnets they are building for Jefferson Lab. In Hall C, handrails have been installed on the concrete block that will become the roof of the SHMS shield house, and the vacuum connection between the first two SHMS magnets has been completed. Installation of the permanent cryogenic gas lines on the new spectrometer continues.

15 June 2016

In Hall C, the cryo-control reservoir for the Super High Momentum Spectrometer dipole magnet and related hardware was received on-site from the magnet vendor, Sigmaphi, in France. Visual inspection upon receipt was good, and acceptance testing is underway. Hall B is continuing pump-down of the Torus vacuum jacket in preparation for cool-down. The Physics Division will convene an Experimental Readiness Review for the Torus cool-down on June 14.

8 June 2016

Bids have gone out to potential vendors for the downstream support structure for the Central Time of Flight detector for CLAS12 and for the installation arm and transport strong-back needed to install CTOF slats into the solenoid magnet bore. These are the last outstanding items needed to complete the detector fabrication part of CLAS12. The other item needed for the CTOF, the light fiber bundle to distribute monitoring laser light to the CTOF slats, is due to arrive this month. Cabling and in-situ checkout of the installed six sectors of the Low Threshold Cerenkov Counter and four sectors of the Forward TOF panel 2 is complete. The remaining fast electronic modules, the crate trigger processors, needed to complete the DAQ and triggering systems for Hall B are in mass production this month and are expected to arrive for production testing during July. Finally, the mechanical design and construction blueprints are being produced for the tungsten-based Moeller-electron shield, which is needed to shield the downstream detectors in CLAS12 from that source of background hits.

Work continues in France on the magnets for the Super High Momentum Spectrometer. The outer vessel of the dipole magnet has received a temporary seal, and pumps are in use to create a vacuum inside it. The volume is large, and the joints requiring a seal are long, so this process has been difficult and time consuming. Once it is accomplished, the vendor can verify the integrity of the nitrogen and helium systems inside the magnet. A small leak in a part of the Q2 magnet's nitrogen system has delayed installation of its bore tube and vacuum tank end flanges, but the main helium and nitrogen supply and return pipes, which enter through the neck of the magnet, have been welded, checked and covered with insulation. The last piece of cryogenic piping in Q3, a small bellows, is being welded into place. In Hall C, plans are being made for receiving the dipole magnet's cryo-control reservoir in early June and for rigging the heavy magnet onto the spectrometer and connecting it to the CCR. The dipole and Q2 are expected to arrive in August. The SHMS collimator box has been installed, and work is proceeding on improvements to the magnet helium gas systems on both spectrometers.

2 June 2016

The Hall B CLAS12 Torus magnet vacuum jacket is being pumped down in preparation for cooling and power tests. As expected during magnet commissioning, minor leaks are being found and repairs completed. Last week, Hall C saw its first beam in many years. The low energy, pulsed beam was used to check out the new beamline into Hall C, which will help the future beam commissioning of the Super High Momentum Spectrometer by identifying any issues well in advance.

18 May 2016

Cryogen lines and the main current buss for the CLAS12 Torus magnet have been connected inside the cryogenic service tower, followed by attachment of the thermal shield and cryostat, completing the magnet's vacuum enclosure. Leak checking and a first trial pump-down of the torus are underway, with a number of small leaks in seams welds found and repaired. In parallel, service attachments to the cryogenics distribution can are underway. The second review required prior to the Torus cooldown, which will examine this can plus all the supporting warm gas piping and vaporizers, is set for mid-June. The in-field checkout is ongoing for the control logic and instrument readouts for the magnet and the various display, control and alarm screens for operators, both expert and regular, are being tried out.

The fifth, or "Shield," coil for the CLAS12 Solenoid has completed winding, a step which completes coil winding for all magnets being manufactured for the 12 GeV Project. The shield coil is being fitted with its mold for epoxy impregnation and being readied for sealing and leak-checks of this mold. The two inner coils have been shrunk-fit into the bobbin already carrying the two intermediate coils for the solenoid, which thus forms the main coil winding pack for the solenoid. The parts and fixturing for the solenoid cold mass assembly have arrived at the vendor in anticipation of the next assembly step after shield coil epoxy impregnation is complete.

11 May 2016

After effectively completing repairs, the cryogenic distribution box has been moved from the Technology and Engineering Development Building high bay to Hall B. The distribution box is now installed on the third level of the CLAS12 platform. Work is progressing on the pump-out of the Torus magnet in preparation for cool-down next month.

The French magnet factory, Sigmaphi, finished measuring the magnetic field produced by the Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS) dipole magnet. It was run at low current with the coils at room temperature for these measurements. After the magnetic measurements and certification that the thermal-shield system was leak-free, Sigmaphi installed the vacuum vessel's inner bore tube and end plates, the last big pieces of the dipole magnet. Temporary seals will be used to allow a vacuum leak test of all internal systems prior to making the final structural weld. The dipole's cryo-control reservoir (CCR) has left Sigmaphi and is en route to Jefferson Lab. It will be joined to the magnet when they are both inside Hall C. The quadrupole magnets, Q2 and Q3, both now have complete thermal-shield systems, suspension links and fully connected superconducting current leads. The CCRs for the quadrupoles are already mounted in place above the magnets. On Q2, the helium pipes that join the magnet coil vessel to the CCR have been fully welded and inspected. Sigmaphi has finished the design and finite-element analysis of the frame that will support and protect the dipole during its journey to Hall C, while, at Jefferson Lab, the plan for moving, lifting and installing the magnet on the SHMS has now been drafted.

28 April 2016

Installation of the collimator box between the HB and Q1 magnets on the Super High Momentum Spectrometer in Hall C has been delayed about a week for issues with the O-ring that forms the vacuum seal between these components. Design details are being finalized for the beamline to be used when the SHMS is positioned very close to the electron beam. The field of the SHMS Dipole magnet is being measured at low current at the factory in France. Welding and leak-checking the various volumes of this magnet will resume when the welding subcontractor returns to the magnet factory in late April. Jefferson Lab is providing expert guidance and equipment to help the vendor perform the required vacuum leak-checking. The Cryo-Control Reservoir (CCR) of the dipole is being crated for an early delivery to Jefferson Lab. This will allow the vendor's staff to concentrate on magnet assembly while Jefferson Lab assists with finishing the details on the CCR. The Q2 and Q3 magnets, in the same French factory, are both just a few assembly steps behind the dipole. Q2 now has all of the wiring to the external interfaces complete, including the connections of the superconducting current leads. The Q3 magnet has been moved off the assembly tool and is resting on its shipping cradle along with its CCR.

The design of the downstream support structure for the Central Time of Flight (CTOF) for CLAS12 is complete. The design for the installation arm and transport strongback will be complete this month. Procurement of these items will mark completion of the CLAS12 detector construction. The remaining item needed for the CTOF commissioning, the light fiber bundle to distribute monitoring laser light to the CTOF slats, is on order. Installation of all six Low Threshold Cerenkov Counters sectors is complete, with cabling and checkout underway. Installation of four of the six Forward TOF panel-2 sectors was also done, with cabling and checkout ongoing. The last two FTOF panel 2 sectors, the lower pair, awaits installation of the Region 3 drift chambers, which is planned for early September, because of the space needed to maneuver the large drift chamber sectors into position in the Torus magnet. The first article has arrived for the remaining fast electronics modules, the Crate Trigger Processors, needed to complete the DAQ and triggering systems for Hall B. It has passed its reception tests and is now undergoing intensive acceptance testing prior to releasing the main production order by end of April.

13 April 2016

Installation of the CLAS12 spectrometer in Hall B is progressing well on all systems. As of last week, four of the six Forward Time-Of-Flight (FTOF-2) detector array panels were installed. Due to geometrical constraints arising from the installation of the Region 3 drift chambers, the final two FTOF-2 panels won't be installed until later this summer. With the hazardous overhead work throughout the experimental hall, and with many people and different activities in a congested envelop, communication and coordination is paramount for the safety of personnel and equipment.

31 March 2016

Experimental Hall B

The cryogenic service tower has been installed on the CLAS12 Torus magnet in Hall B. The lines for magnet cryogens and the main current bus are being connected. After a leak check, the magnet will be ready for an initial vacuum pump-down. In parallel, the cryogenics distribution can that serves as interface between the End Station Refrigerator and the CLAS12 magnets has arrived and is being checked. The Experimental Readiness Review needed prior to the cool-down is set for April 13. The in-field checkout is ongoing for the control logic and instrument readouts for the magnet, the main power supply for the Torus has been tested, and installation of the various parts of the vacuum pumping system is well underway.

The fifth coil (of five) for the CLAS12 Solenoid is nearing the half-way point in winding. Leaks in the helium cooling channel of the bobbin holding the first four coils resulted in schedule delay. The involvement of subject matter experts at Jefferson Lab was critical to development of a leak repair plan, including fabrication of critical parts in our machine shop. The components needed for the Solenoid cold mass assembly are arriving steadily at the vendor, ETI. The Manufacturing Readiness Review of the cold mass assembly procedures is scheduled for March 30.

Experimental Hall C

Work progresses for the motion controls for subsystems on the Super High Momentum Spectrometer (SHMS) in Hall C. The shield house incorporates two very heavy concrete doors, which are opened and closed with the assistance of electric motors. The system logic was tested and then modified to assure that the doors will stop moving if the person operating them lets go of the control button. In addition, new motor drivers for the collimators on both of the Hall C spectrometers have been installed and configured to work with the existing motors. The collimator box for the SHMS will soon be put in place, completing the spectrometer's vacuum-channel connection between the HB and Q1 magnets.

Major components of all three remaining SHMS magnets are back in the vendor, Sigmaphi, magnet factory in France. The helium vessel that contains the Q3 coil just returned from the metalwork shop. The Q2 magnet is on its transatlantic shipping cradle and is being outfitted with a Cryo-Control Reservoir (CCR). The dipole, most advanced of the three, now has its nitrogen supply/return manifold installed. Once the leak-checking of the nitrogen system is complete, the end-caps will be welded onto the dipole vacuum vessel, concluding the factory assembly of that magnet. Equipment is being readied for checking its magnetic field before it is shipped to Jefferson Lab. Plans for rigging and final assembly of the magnets in Hall C are well-advanced.

10 March 2016

nstallation work in Hall B is very busy and presents many overhead hazards. Detector work is proceeding with the cabling of the Low Threshold Cerenkov Counter. Torus magnet activities include installation of the cabling raceways as well as additional infrastructure and support services, such as Low Conductivity Water, electrical, cryogenic piping and gas systems. With all of these overhead activities, it is important that precautions be taken to prevent tools and equipment from falling. Examples of solutions that will reduce risk are to tether tooling when possible, organize and safely store/transport tools and materials, and maintain good housekeeping in your work area.

2 March 2016

Sigma Phi, the French company building the Dipole, Q2 and Q3 magnets, has made significant progress with assembly over the last month. The Dipole is currently slowed down by problems with fitting the liquid nitrogen supply and return manifolds to the thermal shields. Q2 is also experiencing some delay as a different subcontractor is behind schedule producing the cradle needed for the next assembly step. All other internal components of the Dipole are permanently fixed in place, and Q2, with the coil now suspended by the barrel portion of its vacuum vessel, is not far behind. Preparation is moving ahead for the cryogenic, vacuum and instrumentation interface systems of both the Dipole and Q2 magnets. The Dipole interface "Cryogenic-Control Reservoir" will be attached to the magnet in Hall C, whereas the systems for the Q2 and Q3 magnets will be integrated in the factory.

On the Jefferson Lab site, checkout of the Super High Momentum Spectrometer detectors, trigger system and electronics continues. Field mapping of the HB magnet has been performed, so that final components of the beamline may be designed. Important improvements to the superconducting magnet power and protection systems were engineered during the recent extensive testing of the HB magnet. Those improvements, as well as software patches, are being applied to the controls for the other magnets.

24 February 2016

The design of the downstream support structure for the Central Time of Flight (CTOF) detector for CLAS12, as well as that of the installation arm, is now underway. The light fiber bundle to distribute monitoring laser light to the CTOF slats is on order, and the transport crates to move the slats to Hall B have been received. Timing measurements of the assembled CTOF slats have been used to determine the best discriminator settings for timing resolution. Refurbishment of the last of the six sectors of the Low Threshold Cerenkov Counter (LTCC) is complete, with the windows attached and pressure and leak tests passed. Installation of five of the six LTCC sectors has been done, with the sixth sector staged for installation. Installation of the Forward TOF panel 2 sectors is planned for early March, which will complete the Forward Carriage part of CLAS12. The first article is expected to arrive soon for the remaining fast electronic modules, the crate trigger processors, needed to complete the data acquisition and triggering systems for Hall B.

17 February 2016

In November 2015, the heating element for the current lead mass flow overheated the lexan-like cover around the Super High Momentum Spectrometer Q1 magnet leads in Hall C, causing a small fire. The thermometers of the lead mass flow heaters were cross-connected so that the thermostat controls were not properly matched to the correct heater. The top of the cryo can is congested with piping, valves and associated wiring, so tracing the lines visually is difficult. This is compounded when equipment is similar and not labelled or otherwise identifiable. The system initial setup was done in February 2015, and parties are not aware of any changes that were made to this setup since then.

Although hard to accomplish, maintaining a clean and organized work space will aid in the workers' ability to navigate to various hard to reach areas within congested work areas.
Whenever possible, purchase systems as a single unit. This will eliminate the possibility of getting the wire connected improperly during the installation process.
As per the fire extinguisher training, when you see or suspect a fire, pull the closest fire alarm in a timely manner, and the appropriately trained personnel will respond to your area.
Whether temporary or permanent systems, design and fabrication need to conform to established engineering principles, including the identification and mitigation of hazards.
Conformance with the lab procedures for fabrication and modification of electrical equipment that is not listed by a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory will ensure that a subject matter expert's review is completed, so that potential hazards can be identified and mitigated.

11 February 2016

Now that the Horizontal Bend magnet is running at full current, the magnetic fields it generates are being "mapped" (carefully measured at each position in a three-dimensional grid). Detailed knowledge of the main field within the bore of the magnet is needed, so that physicists can interpret the data that comes from the spectrometer during experiments. It is also necessary to have a good measurement of the field outside this particular magnet, because it can deflect the primary electron beam during some experiments. Devices that minimize or counteract this deflection must be designed now, using the measured field as a guide.

In France, the repair of the damaged inner thermal shield of the dipole magnet was completed relatively quickly, so the vendor chose not to divert attention to making early measurements of this magnet's field. The entire shield is made up of an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder, and two endcaps that connect the cylinders. Both the inner and outer surfaces of the shield assembly get a covering of aluminized mylar super insulation -- like many layers of 'space blanket'. All of these parts are in place now, and welding has begun to hold them permanently in position. The pipes that supply liquid nitrogen to cool the shields are being joined by welding, too. Once they have been certified leak-free, the thick outer vacuum vessel will be sealed by welding its two endcaps in place. At this point, in just a few weeks, the dipole factory assembly will be finished and it will start a series of magnetic and leak tests before being readied for shipment to Jefferson Lab's Hall C. The first of the two identical quadrupole magnets, Q2 and Q3, is only several weeks behind the dipole in the same fabrication process. All of its parts are ready and are being put together in a trial fit now. Some of the shield subassemblies for the last quadrupole magnet still need final welding details for mounting brackets, and a final leak check. They will arrive at the magnet vendor's factory only after space becomes available."

3 February 2016

The main support legs have been installed on the Torus magnet for CLAS12 that is being assembled in Hall B. The weight of the magnet has been transferred to the legs, following which the assembly "spit" and its two blue support stands have been removed. Next steps include a detailed survey and then adjustment of the positions of the magnet coils proper, relative to the vacuum jackets. Once this is complete, the thermal shield and hub cryostat can be added to the currently exposed cold hub at the center of the magnet. The Torus Service Tower will be added at that point. It supplies cryogens to the magnet and also serves as a cooled conduit for the two main power leads and for the various instrumentation wires coming from the magnet internals and measuring pressures, temperatures and voltages across splices. The Distribution Can for cryogens, which acts as the interface between both magnets and the End Station Refrigerator, is undergoing final manufacturing checks at the vendor in Chicago. The in-field checkout has begun for the control logic and instrument readouts for the magnet, and ordering, testing and installation of the various parts of the vacuum pumping system is well underway.

The vendor for the Solenoid magnet for CLAS12 has epoxy-impregnated both of the two "Intermediate" coils. Preparations and trial runs are underway for the major subsequent step, which is cooling the two Inner coils and then inserting them into machined cavities in the winding bobbin for the Intermediate coils to form the main four-coil winding pack for the Solenoid. The bobbin for the fifth, or "Shield", coil has been delivered to the vendor and set up on the winding machine. Insulating layers and the guide pieces for the power leads are being attached to this bobbin, after which the Shield coil will be wound and then epoxy-impregnated. The parts for the Solenoid cold mass assembly are on order in anticipation of the next step in Solenoid assembly after Shield coil winding is complete. In this step, the five coils are joined into one assembly by suspending the bobbin with the four Inner and Intermediate coils inside of the bobbin for the Shield coil. This "cold mass" assembly is then covered with a radiation screen and multi-layer insulation. The final major step in building the Solenoid will involve insertion of this cold mass assembly into the outer vacuum cryostat, which is being procured.

27 January 2016

In Hall B, the magnet support legs were installed and the bases grouted on the Torus magnet. The plan is for the "spit," which has served as the temporary support for the magnet during the coil installation phase, to be removed later this week.

With snow falling and Jefferson Lab about to close early, on Friday, Jan. 22, the Horizontal Bend magnet in Hall C successfully reached a major goal following months of analyses, testing and review. After "training" at lower currents, the magnet was operated at 4,000 Amps, the current required for running the new Super High Momentum Spectrometer at its highest momentum.

20 January 2016

Power-testing of the Super High Momentum Spectrometer Horizontal Bend (HB) magnet has resumed after engineers implemented further modifications to improve the response time of the power supply's quench-detection circuitry. When this magnet reaches the current required for 11 GeV/c operation, its magnetic field will be mapped, and the magnet construction contract with Michigan State University will be complete.

The SHMS dipole magnet assembly has progressed to the point that the coil, in its helium vessel, is now surrounded by the cylindrical outer insulation, thermal shield and vacuum vessel. The weight of the coil is now permanently held by the outer vessel rather than by temporary tooling. The full assembly is more than thirteen feet long and five feet in diameter. The inner thermal shield was damaged during insertion, so magnetic-field mapping will proceed while the repairs are made to the shield. In Hall C, the huge iron yoke which will contain the dipole magnet has been leveled and opened. It is now ready and waiting for delivery of the magnet.

13 January 2016

12 GeV Hall B: Non-Magnet Update
The first article is expected to arrive soon for the remaining fast electronic modules, the crate trigger processors, needed to complete the data acquisition and triggering systems for Hall B. The installation and check-out of the balance of the VXS crates and controllers together with the fiber optic networks for data and trigger data transmission is wrapping up in the hall. The construction of the upstream support structure for the Central Time of-Flight (CTOF) for the CLAS12 spectrometer has been completed, as has fabrication of most parts for its light monitoring system and of its transport crates. Refurbishment of the last of the six sectors of the Low Threshold Cerenkov Counter (LTCC) is nearly complete, with the windows being attached, after which pressure and leak tests remain. Installation of the LTCC and the Forward Time of Flight panel 2 sectors is planned for February 2016, which will complete the Forward Carriage part of CLAS12.

6 January 2016

Hall B is prepping for the installation of the Torus magnet support legs. Up to this point, the Torus assembly has been taking place with the Torus on a "spit." This allowed for rotation of the magnet, which increased efficiency and safety during this phase of construction. The legs are the permanent support and will be installed in the near future. Hall C continues incremental testing and measurements of the horizontal bend (HB) magnet. This activity is part of the final acceptance tests of this superconducting magnet.

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