Published 3rd May 2016
The third Machine Advisory Committee meeting took place at the ESRF on Thursday 21st and Friday 22nd April. The EBS team, now well into the procurement phase, presented the progress made in the last six months to the panel of international accelerator experts.
The MAC heard that around 90% of the design work has been completed (only one-of-a-kind vacuum chambers and magnets remaining) and all of the critical prototypes and tests have been successful. Concerning the procurement, about 60% of the planned calls for tender for equipment have been launched, with all of the magnet contracts and three of the vacuum chamber contracts having already been signed on time and on budget.
Overall, the panel was impressed with the progress of the project. In particular, the MAC commended the ID Group for the detailed work that has been carried out, which now allows the ESRF to be able offer a range of different sources (the lattice dipoles or additional SBM, 2PW or 3PW) to ESRF and CRG bending magnet beamlines, such that each individual beamline can select the best solution. Chairman Richard Walker called it an “elegant and flexible solution”.
The feedback from the members included a suggestion to test as much as possible the crucial tasks to be carried out during the installation phase. This could be performed by placing four fully assembled girders in a mock-up tunnel and executing all the steps foreseen such as cabling, piping, vacuum connections and alignment.
Project Leader Pantaleo Raimondi said, “All the recommendations were in line with what has been studied by the project team and will greatly contribute to the advancement of the project.”
The next MAC will be held on 22nd and 23rd September 2016.