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T08 beamline for IRRAD and CHARM

11 DECEMBER, 2023 | By Giulia Romagnoli, Aboubakr Ebn Rahmoun, Federico Devito, Salvatore F. and Jerome

IRRAD_CHARM
IRRAD and CHARM (highlighted in red) covered by shielding blocks in building 157.

Our group, BE-EA, was involved in the past years in the big project of the East Area Renovation where the beamlines, the building 157 and the equipment inside it where completely replaced and renovated during LS2 (2019 to 2021).

The only part inside the building that was not renovated was the one hosting the IRRAD and CHARM irradiation facilities. These 2 facilities are installed at the end of line T08 coming directly from PS accelerator and they use proton and ion beams to perform radiation tests on materials, detectors and electronics components.

IRRAD and CHARM waited peacefully for 3 years to have the beam back thanks to the brand new T08 line (even if during LS2 a new storage area was made on the outside if IRRAD and CHARM enlarged its control room).

The BE-EA group is often involved in the IRRAD and CHARM operation since BE-EA is coordinating the building operation as well as it is responsible for the integration, vacuum, BIDs, CM and general services and infrastructure of the beamline.

During 2023 our group worked a lot on the configuration management of the T08 line as well as the experimental data, defining names, codes, positions and aligning equipment on the beamlines. Several meetings were organized with the integration team and the survey (BE-GM) group as well as the experimental areas responsible to solve problems like: “I have an experimental table in the middle of a shielding concrete blocks” or “I need to see an experimental point, but I don’t know how to call it” and also “I have a name that I do not know to what corresponds to!”

Also, in 2023 IRRAD and CHARM could not rest a moment: 39 user teams carrying more than 400 samples knocked at IRRAD door for proton irradiations, and 47 radiation tests on electronics were completed in CHARM! To continue satisfying all these requests in the years to come, IRRAD and CHARM need more protons. Thanks to all involved teams, a new high-intensity proton spill (containing ~30% more particles) was developed, successfully tested, and now ready to be used in the regular operation of T8 from 2024 onwards.