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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2022

Beam Commissioning and Integrated Test of the PIP-II Injector Test Facility

The PIP-II Injector Test (PIP2IT) facility is a near-complete low energy portion of the Superconducting PIP-II linac driver. PIP2IT comprises the warm front end and the first two PIP-II superconducting cryomodules. PIP2IT is designed to accelerate a 2 mA H⁻ beam to an energy of 20 MeV. The facility serves as a testbed for a number of advanced technologies required to operate PIP-II and provides an opportunity to gain experience with commissioning of the superconducting linac, significantly reducing project technical risks. Some PIP2IT components are contributions from international partners, who also lend their expertise to the accelerator project. The project has been successfully commissioned with the beam in 2021, demonstrating the performance required for the LBNF/DUNE. In this paper, we describe the facility and its critical systems. We discuss our experience with the integrated testing and beam commissioning of PIP2IT, and present commissioning results. This important milestone ushers in a new era at Fermilab of proton beam delivery using superconducting radio-frequency accelerators.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2014

NSLS-II 500 MHz Upstream Superconducting Cavity Commissioning

The NSLS-II Storage Ring RF system was designed to be equipped with up to four CESR-B type 500MHz niobium superconducting cavities. The first one has been installed and commissioned with beam at the upstream location of Cell 24 RF straight. Prior to tunnel installation, cryogenic and RF tests had been performed in the blockhouse to ensure that the cavity could provide enough energy gain for electron beam current of 25 mA for commissioning, and up to ~300 mA for early operation depending upon the total energy loss per turn at that time. After the blockhouse test, the cavity was installed in the storage ring tunnel, where it was then cooled down, conditioned, and finally commissioned with up to 50 mA of beam current. The NSLS-II LHe Cryogenic Plant was used to maintain the cavity temperature at 4.5K. The blockhouse interfaces with the cryogenic manifold box via a vacuum jacketed line, while in the tunnel the cryomodule is fed by a valvebox which is supplied by the same manifold box. The helium gas is recovered by the close-loop LHe system, and the nitrogen gas is vented outside of the RF building through a vent line. This report contains three parts describes cryogenic and RF tests in the blockhouse and cavity commissioning in the tunnel. Within the sections, the cryogenic operation is introduced first then the RF test is described. Section 5 describes further studies proposed for the next operation period.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Status of the Slow Extraction Commissioning for the Mu2e Experiment at Fermilab

We present the current status of slow-extraction commissioning for the Mu2e experiment at Fermilab. The system employs third-integer resonant extraction of 8 GeV protons from the Delivery Ring to deliver a uniform, slow-spilled beam to the production target. During recent commissioning periods, we achieved stable optics, reproducible injection and energy matching, and consistent multi-spill operation. The sextupole circuits and fast-ramping quadrupoles were exercised near nominal resonance conditions, yielding promising extraction performance. A prototype spill-regulation system based on the ARIA-10 SoC was commissioned with integrated diagnostics, demonstrating closed-loop operation and establishing the framework for PID- and RFKO-based control. These commissioning results lay the foundation for achieving precision-regulated, high-quality slow extraction in upcoming Mu2e operations.

Narayanan, A. [Fermilab]↗
NASA NTRS1998

The UNO Aviation Monograph Series: Aviation Security: An Annotated Bibliography of Responses to the Gore Commission

This monograph is a companion to UNOAI Monograph 96-2, "The Image of Airport Security: An Annotated Bibliography," compiled in June 1996. The White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, headed by Vice President Al Gore, was formed as a result of the TWA Flight 800 crash in August 1996. The Commission's final report included 31 recommendations addressed toward aviation security. The recommendations were cause for security issues to be revisited in the media and by the aviation industry. These developments necessitated the need for an updated bibliography to review the resulting literature. Many of the articles were written in response to the recommendations made by the Gore Commission. "Aviation Security: An Annotated Bibliography of Responses to the Gore Commission" is the result of this need.

Carrico, John S.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Solar Dynamics Observatory Launch and Commissioning

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) was launched on February 11, 2010. Over the next three months, the spacecraft was raised from its launch orbit into its final geosynchronous orbit and its systems and instruments were tested and calibrated in preparation for its desired ten year science mission studying the Sun. A great deal of activity during this time involved the spacecraft attitude control system (ACS); testing control modes, calibrating sensors and actuators, and using the ACS to help commission the spacecraft instruments and to control the propulsion system as the spacecraft was maneuvered into its final orbit. This paper will discuss the chronology of the SDO launch and commissioning, showing the ACS analysis work performed to diagnose propellant slosh transient and attitude oscillation anomalies that were seen during commissioning, and to determine how to overcome them. The simulations and tests devised to demonstrate correct operation of all onboard ACS modes and the activities in support of instrument calibration will be discussed and the final maneuver plan performed to bring SDO on station will be shown. In addition to detailing these commissioning and anomaly resolution activities, the unique set of tests performed to characterize SDO's on-orbit jitter performance will be discussed.

O'Donnell, James R., Jr.↗
NASA NTRS2013

Commissioning of a 20 K Helium Refrigeration System for NASA-JSC Chamber A

A new 20 K helium refrigerator installed at NASA Johnson Space Center s Space Environment Simulation Laboratory (SESL) was successfully commissioned and tested in 2012. The refrigerator is used to create a deep space environment within SESL s Chamber A to perform ground testing of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The chamber previously and currently still has helium cryo-pumping panels (CPP) and liquid nitrogen shrouds used to create low earth orbit environments. Now with the new refrigerator and new helium shrouds the chamber can create a deep space environment. The process design, system analysis, specification development, and commissioning oversight were performed by the cryogenics department at Jefferson Lab, while the contracts and system installation was performed by the ESC group at JSC. Commissioning data indicate an inverse coefficient of performance better than 70 W/W for a 18 kW load at 20 K (accounting for liquid nitrogen pre-cooling power) that remains essentially constant down to one third of this load. Even at 10 percent of the maximum capacity, the performance is better than 150 W/W at 20 K. The refrigerator exceeded all design goals and demonstrated the ability to support a wide load range from 10 kW at 15 K to 100 kW at 100 K. The refrigerator is capable of operating at any load temperature from 15 K to ambient with tight temperature stability. The new shroud (36 tons of aluminum) can be cooled from room temperature to 20 K in 24 hours. This paper will outline the process design and commissioning results.

Homan, J.↗
DOE OSTI2012

Energy and Cost Savings of Retro-Commissioning and Retrofit Measures for Large Office Buildings

This paper evaluates the energy and cost savings of seven retro-commissioning measures and 29 retrofit measures applicable to most large office buildings. The baseline model is for a hypothetical building with characteristics of large office buildings constructed before 1980. Each retro-commissioning measure is evaluated against the original baseline in terms of its potential of energy and cost savings while each retrofit measure is evaluated against the commissioned building. All measures are evaluated in five locations (Miami, Las Vegas, Seattle, Chicago and Duluth) to understand the impact of weather conditions on energy and cost savings. The results show that implementation of the seven operation and maintenance measures as part of a retro-commissioning process can yield an average of about 22% of energy use reduction and 14% of energy cost reduction. Widening zone temperature deadband, lowering VAV terminal minimum air flow set points and lighting upgrades are effective retrofit measures to be considered.

Wang, Weimin↗
DOE OSTI2015

Commissioning of NSLS-II

NSLS-II, the new 3rd generation light source at BNL was designed for a brightness of 10 22 photons s -1 mm -2 mrad -2 (0.1%BW) -1 . It was constructed between 2009 and 2014. The storage ring was commissioned in April 2014 which was followed by insertion device and beamline commissioning in the fall of 2014. All ambitious design parameters of the facility have already been achieved except for commissioning the full beam intensity of 500mA which requires more RF installation. This paper reports on the results of commissioning.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

NSLS-II injector commissioning and initial operation

The injector for the National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) storage ring consists of a 3 GeV booster synchrotron and a 200 MeV S-band linac. The linac was designed to produce either a single bunch with a charge of 0.5 nC of electrons or a train of bunches up to 300 ns long containing a total charge of 15 nC. The booster was designed to accelerate up to 15 nC each cycle in a train of bunches up to 300 ns long. Linac commissioning was completed in April 2012. Booster commissioning was started in November 2013 and completed in March 2014. All of the significant design goals were satisfied including beam emittance, energy spread, and transport efficiency. While the maximum booster charge accelerated was only 10 nC, this has proven to be more than sufficient for storage ring commissioning and operation. The injector has operated reliably during storage ring operation since then. Results will be presented showing measurements of linac and booster operating parameters achieved during commissioning and initial operation. Operating experience and reliability during the first year of NSLS-II operation will be discussed.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Scaling Retro-Commissioning to Small Commercial Buildings: A Turnkey Automated Hardware-Software Solution

In the United States, small commercial buildings represent 51% of total floor space of all commercial buildings and consume nearly 3 quadrillion Btu (3.2 quintillion joule) of site energy annually, presenting an enormous opportunity for energy savings. Retro-commissioning (RCx), the process through which professional energy service providers identify and correct operational problems, has proven to be a cost-effective means to achieve median energy savings of 16%. However, retro-commissioning is not typically conducted at scale throughout the commercial stock. Very few small commercial buildings are retro-commissioned because utility expenses are relatively modest, margins are tighter, and capital for improvements is limited. In addition, small buildings do not have in-house staff with the expertise to identify improvement opportunities. In response, a turnkey hardware-software solution was developed to enable cost-effective, monitoring-based RCx of small commercial buildings. This highly tailored solution enables non-commissioning providers to identify energy and comfort problems, as well as associated cost impacts and remedies. It also facilitates scale by offering energy service providers the means to streamline their existing processes and reduce costs by more than half. The turnkey RCx sensor suitcase consists of two primary components: a suitcase of sensors for short-term building data collection that guides users through the process of deploying and retrieving their data and a software application that automates analysis of sensor data, identifies problems and generates recommendations. This paper presents the design and testing of prototype models, including descriptions of the hardware design, analysis algorithms, performance testing, and plans for dissemination.

Lin, Guanjing↗
DOE OSTI2011

LLRF Commissioning of the new CEBAF 100 MeV Cryomodule

Commissioning of the 100 MeV cryomodule (CEBAF acronym C100) is part of the CEBAF energy upgrade to 12 GeV at Jefferson Lab. LLRF commissioning includes field control, cavity interlocks, resonance controls (Stepper Motor and Piezo tuner) and operational software. All the above mentioned systems and software are calibrated and tested on the bench and in test platforms prior to installation. Once installed and connected to the cryomodule, the system supports cavity commissioning (Emax, Qo etc.). In addition the LLRF system is calibrated (gradient and RF power), optimized (system gains and set points) and functionality is tested for operability. This poster describes the detailed description of various stages of commissioning of first 100 MeV cryomodule.

Bachimanchi, Ramakrishna↗
DOE OSTI2024

Commissioning of the Mu2e tracker DAQ, planning for the Vertical Slice Test and pre-pattern recognition studies

The primary objective of the Mu2e experiment at Fermilab is to search for the neutrino-less coherent $\mu \rightarrow e$ conversion in the field of an aluminum nucleus ($\mu^- \text{Al} \rightarrow e^- \text{Al}$). The signature of this process is a monochromatic Conversion Electron (CE) with an energy of approximately 104.97 MeV \cite{bartoszek2015mu2e}. Within the Standard Model (SM), the branching ratio for this process, including neutrino masses and oscillation, is expected to be less than $\mathcal{O}(10^{-50})$. This value is far beyond current experimental capabilities. However, models of physics beyond the SM predict much higher relative rates, approaching an observable level. The SINDRUM II experiment set an upper limit on muon conversion at $7 \times 10^{-13}$ (90\% CL) on Au target \cite{SINDRUMII:2006dvw}, and the Mu2e collaboration aims to improve this limit by four orders of magnitude. Observing this process would provide a clear evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model. A brief discussion of the theoretical and experimental aspects is provided in Chapter \ref{intr}. Mu2e adopts a sophisticated experimental setup to achieve its goals, further described in Chapter \ref{mu2echapter}. The central part of the Mu2e detector is the tracker, that consists of 18 tracking stations. The tracker must provide excellent momentum resolution, approximately 1 MeV/c, to distinguish the monochromatic CE signal from the background. To minimize the energy losses, a straw tube tracker will be used \cite{bobbb}. Chapter \ref{chaptertrk} provides an overview of the straw tracker design and its working principles. This Thesis presents a comprehensive study of the Mu2e tracker, covering complementary aspects from initial commissioning to optimization and first steps of the calibration processes. My work at Fermilab has been focused on the complete Data Acquisition (DAQ) testing from both hardware and software perspectives. I was involved in the commissioning of the Mu2e DAQ system and the Vertical Slice Test (VST) of the tracker. The VST encompasses the entire testing chain, from the straws to the readout, and to processed data on disk. I was also focused on the offline analysis, especially on pre-pattern recognition studies, to explore the best methods for identifying $\delta$-electrons during the data taking. Chapter \ref{commissioning} details the commissioning of the tracker DAQ system, emphasizing the importance of understanding of the readout process before the data acquisition. This includes validating the readout logic and firmware through Monte Carlo simulations to confirm functionality and buffering, monitoring the quality of the data from the tracker preamplifiers and front-end electronics, and assessing overall DAQ performance to ensure reliability during future calibration and data-taking. Chapter \ref{planning} discusses the initial steps towards the tracker calibration. The ultimate goal is to perform a time calibration of the first assembled station of the tracker using cosmic muons, aiming for a longitudinal hit position resolution better than 4 cm. This involves determining the signal propagation times and channel-to-channel delays. I performed a Monte Carlo study to determine the impact of the station orientation on the quality of the calibration, in particular on the cosmic track reconstruction, focusing on potential biases that could arise. These studies provide essential insights into the operation, optimization, and calibration of the Mu2e tracker system. Given the high data volume expected during Mu2e operations, estimated at approximately 7 PBytes per year, optimizing memory usage and minimizing CPU consumption are critical. A significant challenge lies in effectively flagging $\delta$-electron hits, which are the primary source of hits in the tracker, without compromising the efficiency of CE hit detection and track reconstruction. A detailed study of pre-pattern recognition and a thorough comparison of two $\delta$-electron flagging algorithms is provided in Chapter \ref{delta}. In Chapter \ref{conclusions}, the findings are concisely summarized, offering a comprehensive synthesis of the research and emphasizing the key insights derived from this study.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Commissioning Guidance for Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs)

This Commissioning Guidance for Energy Savings Performance Contracts (ESPCs) is DOE’s official guidance for ordering agencies under the current DOE ESPC IDIQ contract. This guidance document explains how commissioning of energy conservation measures (ECMs) and water conservation measures (WCMs) is incorporated into the ESPC process, roles and responsibilities in project commissioning, and key elements of commissioning. This document updates the previous version, released in 2015. This guidance can also be used as applicable in the development of ESPC ENABLE and UESC performance assurance plans.

Walker, Christine↗
DOE OSTI2020

Application of radiochromic gel dosimetry to commissioning of a megavoltage research linear accelerator for small–field animal irradiation studies

To develop and implement an efficient and accurate commissioning procedure for small-field static beam animal irradiation studies on an MV research linear accelerator (Linatron-M9) using radiochromic gel dosimetry. The research linear accelerator (Linatron-M9) is a 9 MV linac with a static fixed collimator opening of 5.08 cm diameter. Lead collimators were manually placed to create smaller fields of 2 × 2 cm 2 , 1 × 1 cm 2 , and 0.5 × 0.5 cm 2 . Relative dosimetry measurements were performed, including profiles, percent depth dose (PDD) curves, beam divergence, and relative output factors using various dosimetry tools, including a small volume ionization chamber (A14), GAFCHROMIC™ EBT3 film, and Clearview gel dosimeters. The gel dosimeter was used to provide a 3D volumetric reference of the irradiated fields. The Linatron profiles and relative output factors were extracted at a reference depth of 2 cm with the output factor measured relative to the 2 × 2 cm 2 reference field. Absolute dosimetry was performed using A14 ionization chamber measurements, which were verified using a national standards laboratory remote dosimetry service. Absolute dosimetry measurements were confirmed within 1.4% (k = 2, 95% confidence = 5%). The relative output factor of the small fields measured with films and gels agreed with a maximum relative percent error difference between the two methods of 1.1 % for the 1 × 1 cm 2 field and 4.3 % for the 0.5 × 0.5 cm 2 field. These relative errors were primarily due to the variability in the collimator positioning. The measured beam profiles demonstrated excellent agreement for beam size (measured as FWHM), within approximately 0.8 mm (or less). Film measurements were more accurate in the penumbra region due to the film’s finer resolution compared with the gel dosimeter. Following the van Dyk criteria, the PDD values of the film and gel measurements agree within 11% in the buildup region starting from 0.5 cm depth and within 2.6 % beyond maximum dose and into the fall-off region for depths up to 5 cm. The 2D beam profile isodose lines agree within 0.5 mm in all regions for the 0.5 × 0.5 cm 2 and the 1 × 1 cm 2 fields and within 1 mm for the larger field of 2 × 2 cm 2 . The 2D PDD curves agree within approximately 2% of the maximum in the typical therapy region (1–4 cm) for the 1 × 1 cm 2 and 2 × 2 cm 2 and within 5% for the 0.5 × 0.5 cm 2 field. This work provides a commissioning process to measure the beam characteristics of a fixed beam MV accelerator with detailed dosimetric evaluation for its implementation in megavoltage small animal irradiation studies. Radiochromic gel dosimeters are efficient small-field relative dosimetry tools providing 3D dose measurements allowing for full representation of dose, dosimeter misalignment corrections and high reproducibility with low inter-dosimeter variability. Altogether, radiochromic gels are valuable for fast, full relative dosimetry commissioning in comparison to films for application in high-energy small-field animal irradiation studies.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Handling radiation generated during an ion source commissioning

Radiation is an important issue, which should be carefully treated during the design and commissioning of an ion source. Measurements show that X-rays are generated around the ceramics column of an extraction system when the source is powered up to 30 kV. The X-ray dose increases greatly when a beam is extracted. Inserting the ceramic column into a metal vacuum box is a good way to block X-ray emission for those cases. Moreover, this makes the online test of an intense H{sup +} ion beam with energy up to 100 keV possible. However, for deuteron ion source commissioning, neutron and gamma-ray radiation become a serious topic. In this paper, we will describe the design of the extraction system and the radiation doses of neutrons and gamma-rays measured at different D{sup +} beam energy during our 2.45 GHz deuteron electron cyclotron resonance ion source commissioning for PKUNIFTY (PeKing University Neutron Imaging FaciliTY) project at Peking University.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

NSLS-II commissioning and operation

The National Synchrotron Light Source II at Brookhaven National Lab is a third-generation synchrotron radiation facility that has been commissioned in 2014. The facility is based on a 3 GeV electron storage ring, which will circulate 500 mA of beam current at 1 nm rad horizontal emittance. The storage ring is 792 meters in circumference and will accommodate more than 60 beamlines in the final built-out. The beamline sources range from insertion-devices located in straight sections, bending magnets or three-pole-wigglers configured in multiple branches. The NSLS-II storage ring commissioning was successfully completed in July 2014 and the facility delivered the first user light on October 23, 2014. Currently the storage ring reached 300 mA beam current and achieved 1 nm rad of horizontal emittance with 3 sets of Damping Wigglers. At this point six NSLS-II project beamlines are routinely taking photons with beam current at 150 mA. This paper reviews the NSLS-II accelerator design and commissioning experience.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

NSLS-II storage ring insertion device and front-end commissioning and operation

The National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) is a state of the art 3 GeV third generation light source at Brookhaven National Laboratory. During spring/ summer of 2014, the storage ring was commissioned up to 50 mA without insertion devices. In the fall of 2014, we began commissioning of the project beamlines, which included seven insertion devices on six ID ports. Beamlines IXS, HXN, CSX-1, CSX-2, CHX, SRX, and XPD-1 consist of elliptically polarized undulator (EPU), damping wigglers (DW) and in-vacuum undulators (IVU) covering from VUV to hard x-ray range. In this paper, experience with commissioning and operation is discussed. We focus on reaching storage ring performance with IDs, including injection, design emittance, compensation of orbit distortions caused by ID residual field, source point stability, beam alignment and tools for control, monitoring and protection of the ring chambers from ID radiation.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2013

Commissioning dose computation models for spot scanning proton beams in water for a commercially available treatment planning system

Purpose: To present our method and experience in commissioning dose models in water for spot scanning proton therapy in a commercial treatment planning system (TPS). Methods: The input data required by the TPS included in-air transverse profiles and integral depth doses (IDDs). All input data were obtained from Monte Carlo (MC) simulations that had been validated by measurements. MC-generated IDDs were converted to units of Gy mm{sup 2}/MU using the measured IDDs at a depth of 2 cm employing the largest commercially available parallel-plate ionization chamber. The sensitive area of the chamber was insufficient to fully encompass the entire lateral dose deposited at depth by a pencil beam (spot). To correct for the detector size, correction factors as a function of proton energy were defined and determined using MC. The fluence of individual spots was initially modeled as a single Gaussian (SG) function and later as a double Gaussian (DG) function. The DG fluence model was introduced to account for the spot fluence due to contributions of large angle scattering from the devices within the scanning nozzle, especially from the spot profile monitor. To validate the DG fluence model, we compared calculations and measurements, including doses at the center of spread out Bragg peaks (SOBPs) as a function of nominal field size, range, and SOBP width, lateral dose profiles, and depth doses for different widths of SOBP. Dose models were validated extensively with patient treatment field-specific measurements. Results: We demonstrated that the DG fluence model is necessary for predicting the field size dependence of dose distributions. With this model, the calculated doses at the center of SOBPs as a function of nominal field size, range, and SOBP width, lateral dose profiles and depth doses for rectangular target volumes agreed well with respective measured values. With the DG fluence model for our scanning proton beam line, we successfully treated more than 500 patients from March 2010 through June 2012 with acceptable agreement between TPS calculated and measured dose distributions. However, the current dose model still has limitations in predicting field size dependence of doses at some intermediate depths of proton beams with high energies. Conclusions: We have commissioned a DG fluence model for clinical use. It is demonstrated that the DG fluence model is significantly more accurate than the SG fluence model. However, some deficiencies in modeling the low-dose envelope in the current dose algorithm still exist. Further improvements to the current dose algorithm are needed. The method presented here should be useful for commissioning pencil beam dose algorithms in new versions of TPS in the future.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗