The SPEAR3 Vacuum System - An Analysis of the First Two Years of Operation (2004 and 2005)

Abstract

SPEAR 3, a synchrotron radiation source at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, has been in operation for the past two years. SPEAR 3 was designed to achieve high beam lifetimes while operating at a higher current level than previously achieved with SPEAR 2. Maintaining high electron beam lifetimes within the ring allows users to perform their experiments with a consistent supply of high current synchrotron radiation. The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate the SPEAR 3 vacuum system's performance during the 2004 and 2005 runs while considering methods to optimize and improve vacuum system conditioning, especially within the pumping system, so that a recommended plan of action can be created for the FY 2006 run. Monitoring the dynamics of the electron beam within the ring can be a difficult task. Pressure data obtained from the gages attached to pumps, temperature data obtained from thermocouples located at various locations around the ring, and beam lifetime projections help to provide some indication of the health of the electron beam, but the true conditions within the beam chamber can only be extrapolated. Data collected from sensors (gauges, thermocouples, etc.) located around the ring can be viewed and extracted from a program createdmore » at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory (SSRL) called Historyplot. Manipulation and analysis of data was performed with the commercially available programs Matlab and Excel. The data showed that the beam lifetimes in 2005 were much greater than they were in 2004, but it did not provide a clear indication as to why this occurred. One variable of major importance between the 2004 and 2005 runs is the Titanium Sublimation Pump (TSP) flash frequency (flashing is the process in which Titanium from filaments within the pump is sublimated onto the wall surfaces of the pump, where it removes gas molecules from the system by chemisorption). The data indicated that pressures in 2005 could have been lower, based on a comparison between 2004 pressures, if the TSPs were flashed more frequently than they were in 2005. However, the data from 2004 and 2005 does not provide enough information to accurately determine an optimal conditioning frequency, though it does provide enough information to formulate a recommended plan of action for the next run. It appears that flashing at a high rate during the beginning of a run and at a lower rate as the run progresses may be the most effective pumping approach to further improve the vacuum level of the ring. It is recommended that the SPEAR 3 vacuum system should be operated in this way next year.« less