Upgrade Project Research Articles

Development of a 3D highly granular scintillator neutrino detector for the T2K experiment

The long baseline neutrino experiment T2K has launched the upgrade project of its near detector ND280, crucial to reduce the systematic uncertainties in the prediction of number of events at the far detector to less than 4%. An essential component of this upgrade is a highly segmented scintillator detector, acting as a fully active target for neutrino interactions, called SuperFGD, with dimensions of 192×192×56 cm3 a total mass of about 2 tonnes. Prototypes of this detector have been tested in a beam of charged particles at CERN in 2017 and 2018. The detector response, including the light yield and the time resolution are presented. The installation of new components for the upgrade of ND280 is planned in 2021.

Application of High-Resolution Trip Trace Stitching to Evaluate Traffic Signal System Changes

Second-by-second GPS trajectories, called trip traces, of vehicles moving along an arterial provide the highest fidelity measure of corridor operations. However, large samples of such contiguous trajectories are not always possible because of varying techniques to reset probe vehicle IDs for data privacy, varying probe data penetration rates, and varying vehicle routing. This paper analyzes changes in segment travel time using the Mann–Whitney U test and proposes a method for creating a composite travel time metric using trip trace data. These techniques were applied to a four-corridor signal improvement and upgrade project in southeastern Salt Lake County. The study found that on average three out of the four corridors decreased in composite median travel time, by 32 s, 16 s, and 14 s. Interquartile range (IQR) was used to assess travel time reliability and the IQR travel time reduced (improved) on average by 33 s, 23 s, 18 s, and 1 s. In addition, a rank-sums method for statistically comparing the two composite travel time distributions is applied to the results. The four corridors had a total of 48 links and were evaluated during five time-of-day periods. Out of the 240 link-periods, the rank-sums analysis method found that overall, 68 link-periods improved and 13 link-periods slowed, at a 95% significance level. The annualized user benefit from the improvements was estimated at $2.2 million for the four corridors.

The upgrade of the ALICE Inner Tracking System

The Inner Tracking System (ITS) of the ALICE experiment will be upgraded during the second long LHC shutdown in 2019–2020. The main goal of the ALICE ITS upgrade is to enable high precision measurements of low-momentum particles (<1 GeV/c) by acquiring a large sample of events, benefiting from the increase of the LHC instantaneous luminosity of Pb-Pb collisions to ℒ = 6 ⋅ 1027 cm−2 s−1 during Run 3. Working in this direction the ITS upgrade project is focusing on the increase of the readout rate, on the improvement of the impact parameter resolution, as well as on the improvement of the tracking efficiency and the position resolution. The major setup modification is the substitution of the current ITS with seven layers of silicon pixel detectors. The ALPIDE chip, a CMOS Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS), was developed for this purpose and offers a spatial resolution of 5 μm. The use of MAPS together with a stringent mechanical design allows for the reduction of the material budget down to 0.35% X0 for the innermost layers and 1% X0 for the outer layers. The detector design was validated during the research and development period through a variety of tests ensuring the proper operation for the full lifetime inside ALICE. The production phase is close to completion with all the new assembled components undergoing different tests that aim to characterize the modules and staves and determine their qualification level. This contribution describes the detector design, the measurements performed during the research and development phase, as well as the production status.

Resistivity profile of epitaxial layer for the new ALICE ITS sensor

Wafers with different epitaxial layer thicknesses of 12, 18, 20, 25, 30 and 40 μm and high resistivities ranging from 0.03 to 8.0 kΩ⋅cm have been investigated in this study. To verify their properties, surface resistivity measurement, scanning electron microscopy inspection and spreading resistance profiling have been performed. The results indicate that wafers with a 25-μm epitaxial thickness are well-suited to our requirements for use as a starting material for ALPIDE chip production in the ALICE ITS upgrade project.

Characterization of Highly Irradiated ALPIDE Silicon Sensors

The ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) experiment at CERN will upgrade its Inner Tracking System (ITS) detector. The new ITS will consist of seven coaxial cylindrical layers of ALPIDE silicon sensors which are based on Monolithic Active Pixel Sensor (MAPS) technology. We have studied the radiation hardness of ALPIDE sensors using a 30 MeV proton beam provided by the cyclotron U-120M of the Nuclear Physics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Řež. In this paper, these long-term measurements will be described. After being irradiated up to the total ionization dose 2.7 Mrad and non-ionizing energy loss 2.7 × 10 13 1 MeV n eq · cm - 2 , ALPIDE sensors fulfill ITS upgrade project technical design requirements in terms of detection efficiency and fake-hit rate.

RAMSES II: RAMan Search for Extragalactic Symbiotic Stars Project Concept, Commissioning, and Early Results from the Science Verification Phase

Abstract Symbiotic stars (SySts) are long-period interacting binaries composed of a hot compact star, an evolved giant star, and a tangled network of gas and dust nebulae. They represent unique laboratories for studying a variety of important astrophysical problems, and have also been proposed as possible progenitors of SNIa. Presently, we know of 257 SySts in the Milky Way and 69 in external galaxies. However, these numbers are still in striking contrast with the predicted population of SySts in our Galaxy. Because of other astrophysical sources that mimic SySt colors, no photometric diagnostic tool has so far demonstrated the power to unambiguously identify a SySt, thus making the recourse to costly spectroscopic follow-up still inescapable. In this paper we present the concept, commissioning, and science verification phases, as well as the first scientific results, of RAMSES II—a Gemini Observatory Instrument Upgrade Project that has provided each GMOS instrument at both Gemini telescopes with a set of narrow-band filters centered on the Raman O vi 6830 Å band. Continuum-subtracted images using these new filters clearly revealed known SySts with a range of Raman O vi line strengths, even in crowed fields. RAMSES II observations also produced the first detection of Raman O vi emission from the SySt LMC 1 and confirmed Hen 3-1768 as a new SySt—the first photometric confirmation of a SySt. Via Raman O vi narrow-band imaging, RAMSES II provides the astronomical community with the first purely photometric tool for hunting SySts in the local universe.

Field Quality Measurement of a 4.2-m-Long Prototype Low-&lt;inline-formula&gt; &lt;tex-math notation="LaTeX"&gt;$\beta$&lt;/tex-math&gt; &lt;/inline-formula&gt; Nb&lt;inline-formula&gt; &lt;tex-math notation="LaTeX"&gt;$_3$&lt;/tex-math&gt; &lt;/inline-formula&gt;Sn Quadrupole Magnet During the Assembly Stage for the High-Luminosity LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project

Author(s): Wang, X; Ambrosio, GF; Cheng, DW; Chlachidze, G; Dimarco, J; Ghiorso, W; Hernikl, C; Lipton, TM; Myers, S; Pan, H; Prestemon, SO; Sabbi, GL | Abstract: The U.S. High-Luminosity LHC Accelerator Upgrade Project, in collaboration with CERN, is developing Nb 3 Sn quadrupole magnets (MQXFA) to be installed at the interaction region of the LHC. The project will deliver 20 MQXFA magnets in 10 cold masses. These magnets need to meet the stringent requirements on field quality at the nominal operating current. Compared to the mature NbTi accelerator magnet technology, achieving excellent field quality can be challenging for Nb 3 Sn magnets. To help track, understand, and allow effective correction of geometric field errors, field quality measurements at room temperature during the MQXFA assembly stage was planned for the project. The measurements also intend to evaluate the magnetic axis and twist angle along the magnet aperture. We report the first measurement on a prototype MQXFA magnet using a recently developed measurement system. The magnetic axis and twist angle met the acceptance criteria. Further development needs for the room-temperature measurements were discussed. We expect that statistics obtained from such measurements throughout the project will provide insight into future applications of high-performance Nb 3 Sn accelerator magnets.

Renewal of the interfero-polarimeter diagnostic for WEST

In the frame of the WEST tokamak upgrade project, the Tore Supra combined interferometer-polarimeter diagnostic has been modified to fit the geometry and constraints induced by the implementation of divertor coils in the vacuum vessel. For a good spatial resolution of the plasma, as the vertical ports are now partially obstructed, 8 infrared beams go through a common horizontal port and are retro-reflected on an inner panel and 2 vertical port retro-reflected channels, with specific vacuum mirrors close to the divertor, could be implemented to diagnose the edge plasma.The electronics and the data acquisition have also been renewed to improve the reliability and precision of the measurements. Novel digital electronics with embedded interferometric and polarimetric algorithms produce 1 ms data outputs for real time control.The diagnostic has routinely been operated during the first WEST campaigns. In this article, we detail the new arrangement and discuss the first results with plasma.

Muon physics at forward rapidity with the ALICE detector upgrade

ALICE is the experiment specifically designed to study the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) in heavy-ion collisions at the CERN LHC. The ALICE detector will be upgraded during the Long Shutdown 2, planned for 2019-2020, in order to cope with the maximum interaction rate of 50 kHz of Pb-Pb collisions foreseen for Runs 3 and 4. The ambitious programme of high-precision measurements, expected for muon physics after 2020, requires an upgrade of the front-end and readout electronics of the existing Muon Spectrometer. This concerns the Cathode Pad Chambers (CPC) used for tracking and the Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) used for triggering and for muon identification. The Muon Forward Tracker (MFT), an internal tracker added in front of the front absorber of the existing Muon Spectrometer, is also part of the ALICE detector upgrade programme. It is based on an assembly of circular planes made of Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS), covering the pseudorapidity range 2.5 <η < 3.6. The MFT will improve present measurements and enable new ones. A selection of results from physics performance studies will be presented, together with an overview of the technical aspects of the upgrade project.

Critical success factors in ERP upgrade projects

PurposeIn the last years the penetration of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems within small, medium and large organizations increased steadily. Organizations are forced to adapt their systems and perform ERP upgrades in order to react to rapidly changing business environments, technological enhancements and rising pressure of competition. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the critical success factors for such projects.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on a literature review and qualitative interviews with CEOs, CIOs, ERP consultants and project managers who recently carried out ERP upgrade projects in their respective organizations.FindingsThis paper identifies 14 critical success factors for ERP upgrade projects. Amongst others, effective project management, external support, the composition of the ERP team and the usage of a multiple system landscape play a key role for the success of the ERP upgrade. Furthermore, a comparison to the critical success factors for ERP implementation projects was conducted, and even though there are many similarities between these types of projects, several differences emerged.Originality/valueERP upgrade projects have a huge impact on organizations, but their success and antecedents for it are currently under-researched.

Test of Short Model and Prototype of the HL-LHC D2 Orbit Corrector Based on CCT Technology

In the frame of the high-luminosity upgrade project for the large hadron collider, new twin aperture beam orbit corrector magnets will be installed near the recombination dipole (D2). These magnets are 2.2 m long canted cosine theta NbTi dipoles, with two independently powered apertures oriented such that their field vectors are perpendicular to each other and to the direction of the beams. A 0.5 m model magnet in single and double aperture configuration and a full-length double aperture prototype were built and tested at CERN. In this paper, the performance of these magnets at 1.9 K in terms of training behavior, quench detection and protection, and other tests is discussed. In addition, the thermal response of the magnet to a hypothetical beam discharge is simulated and analyzed.

Recent results and future prospects of Super-Kamiokande

Abstract Super-Kamiokande (SK) is a water Cherenkov detector located 1000 m underground in Kamioka Observatory , ICRR, University of Tokyo in Japan. It consists of a cylindrical stainless steel tank, 50,000 ton of purified water, and 11,000 of 20-inch PMTs. The fiducial volume of the SK detector is 22.5 kton. The experiment was started in April 1996, and currently phase IV (SK-IV) is running. SK has been the world largest water Cherenkov detector with purified water in underground since 1996. SK has a variety of measurement or physics targets, namely, solar neutrinos , atmospheric neutrinos , supernova neutrinos, neutrinos produced by the accelerator in J-PARC (as T2K experiment), and search for nucleon decay. In near future, we are going to move to the next phase, that is SK-Gd. In the SK-Gd phase, we are planning to add 0.1% of gadolinium to the current SK detector in order to enhance neutron tagging efficiency, and then try to achieve the first observation of supernova relic neutrinos (SRN) (or diffuse supernova neutrino background (DSNB)). The initial work in this upgrade project was started in June 2018. This paper reports a brief summary of the SK experiment, recent solar neutrino results, and recent atmospheric neutrino results. As a future plan, the purpose of SK-Gd and status of the upgrade work are reported.

Magnetic cross-talk simulation between Q2 and L-bend magnets of APS-U

The Advanced Photon Source Upgrade project (APS-U) will replace the present storage ring of the Advanced Photon Source (APS) with a new storage ring based on a multi-bend achromat (MBA) lattice. Due to the increased number of magnets in each sector of the MBA lattice, the space between magnets is very limited, with the smallest separation between magnets being only 5 cm between the Q2 quadrupole in the doublet section and the adjacent M1 longitudinal gradient dipole (L-bend). Cross-talk between these magnets is of concern and is investigated in this work. Both magnets are modeled separately in Opera-3D, and then together as per their design layout in the MBA lattice. The trajectory of a 6.0 GeV electron beam through both magnets is calculated, the local field multipoles along that trajectory computed, and the integrated harmonics compared with a superposition of the fields in the individual magnets. These simulations show that the integrated quadrupole field of the Q2 magnet drops by 0.16% due to the presence of the M1, while the integrated dipole field of the M1 is practically unaffected. The effect on the higher-order multipoles at a radius of 10 mm was less than 0.01% of the integrated dipole field, and is within acceptable limits. The detailed magnetic structures of the Q2 and the M1, electron beam trajectory through these magnets, the local main and harmonic fields along the trajectory, and their integrals with and without cross-talk are reported.

The upgraded JET gamma-ray cameras based on high resolution/high count rate compact spectrometers.

The JET gamma-ray cameras have been recently upgraded within the gamma-ray camera upgrade project in support of development of JET high performance deuterium plasma scenarios and in preparation of deuterium-tritium experiments. New, dedicated detectors based on a LaBr3 crystal and silicon photo-multipliers have been developed and replaced pre-existing CsI detectors in all 19 channels. The new instrument gives opportunity of making two-dimensional gamma-ray measurements with a counting rate capability exceeding 1 MCounts/s (MCps) and energy resolution better than 5% at 1.1 MeV. The upgrade is of relevance for fast ion and runaway electron physics studies in high performance deuterium discharges and also in plasmas with tritium at neutron yields in the range up to about 5 × 1017 n/s.

Design of the new proton synchrotron booster absorber scraper (PSBAS) in the framework of the large hadron collider injection upgrade (LIU) project

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Injector Upgrade (LIU) Project at CERN calls for increasing beam intensity for the LHC accelerator chain. Some machine components will not survive the new beam characteristics and need to be rebuilt for the new challenging scenario. This is particularly true for beam intercepting devices (BIDs) such as dumps, collimators, and absorber/scrapers, which are directly exposed to beam impacts. In this context, this work summarizes conceptual design studies on the new Proton Synchrotron Booster (PSB) Absorber/Scraper (PSBAS), a device aimed at cleaning the beam halo at the very early stage of the PSB acceleration. This paper outlines the steps performed to fulfill the component design requirements. It discusses thermo-mechanical effects as a consequence of the beam-matter collisions, simulated with the FLUKA Monte Carlo code and ANSYS® finite element software; and the impedance minimization study performed to prevent beam instabilities and to reduce RF-heating on the device.

Design of the New Proton Synchrotron Booster Absorber Scraper (PSBAS) in the Framework of the Large Hadron Collider Injection Upgrade (LIU) Project

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Injector Upgrade (LIU)Project at CERN calls for increasing beam intensity for the LHC accelerator chain. Some machine components will not survive the new beam characteristics and need to be rebuilt for the new challenging scenario. This is particularly true for beam intercepting devices (BIDs) such as dumps, collimators, and absorber/scrapers, which are directly exposed to beam impacts. In this context, this work summarizes conceptual design studies on the new Proton Synchrotron Booster (PSB) Absorber/Scraper (PSBAS), a device aimed at cleaning the beam halo at the very early stage of the PSB acceleration. This paper outlines the steps performed to fulfil the component design requirements. It discusses thermo-mechanical effects as a consequence of the beam-matter collisions, simulated with the FLUKA Monte Carlo code and ANSYS finite element software; and the impedance minimization study performed to prevent beam instabilities and to reduce RF-heating on the device.

RAMSES II Raman Search for Extragalactic Symbiotic Stars

AbstractSymbiotic stars (SySts) are long-period interacting binaries composed of a hot compact star, an evolved giant star, and a tangled network of gas and dust nebulae. Presently, we know 252 SySts in the Milky Way and 62 in external galaxies. However, these numbers are still in striking contrast with the predicted population of SySts in our Galaxy. In this contribution, I present the concept and the early results from RAMSES II (Raman Search for Extragalactic Symbiotic Stars), a Gemini/GMOS Upgrade Project which makes use of the Raman OVI 6830Å band as a powerful photometric tool to identify new SySts, within and beyond the Galaxy.

Revisit to incremental housing focusing on the role of a comprehensive community centre: the case of Jinja, Uganda

ABSTRACTIncremental housing is a gradual process whereby residents incrementally improve or extend their houses by themselves, whenever funding or time becomes available. This approach has attracted attention as an affordable way of improving poor living conditions in slums often with sites-and-services scheme. In many cases, this approach is coupled with an emphasis on self-help sweat equity, which can be strengthened by active community involvement. This study seeks to suggest a way of combining a scheme of empowering self-reliant communities with incremental housing. Based on the lessons from previous slum upgrade projects in Jinja, Uganda, this study points out the necessity of 1) more sustainable approach with self-help incremental housing than one-time grant-based projects, 2) an assisted way of empowering community and providing training schemes, 3) a temporary shelter for original dwellers who are affected by slum upgrade projects, and 4) an inclusive scheme for tenants who are frequently ignored in many slum upgrade schemes. This study proposes a ‘Self-Reliance Centre (SRC)’, which is designed to function as a space for community empowerment, a training centre, and a temporary shelter for incremental housing scheme in slum upgrade. As an assisted self-help approach, the SRC in incremental housing has a feature of initial involvement by public sector to invite eventual self-reliance of communities for sustainability in incremental housing.

PRIORITIZING SIDEWALK UPGRADE PROJECTS TO MAXIMIZE COMPLIANCE WITH ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

People with disabilities form 18.7% of the United States population, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2012. To avoid discrimination against this significant portion of the population, state and local governments are required by federal and state laws to provide and maintain accessibility for people with disabilities on their sidewalks and pedestrian facilities. To achieve compliance with these laws, state and local governments need to conduct self-evaluations to identify inaccessible pedestrian facilities and develop transition plans to schedule upgrade projects for these inaccessible pedestrian facilities. The federally-mandated transition plan requirements include the development of a schedule that displays, in detail, deadlines for all upgrade projects needed to achieve full compliance with accessibility requirements. To prepare this schedule, public entities are required to rank and prioritize pedestrian facilities upgrade projects. This paper presents the development of a novel methodology to quantify the impact of upgrading inaccessible pedestrian facilities on people with disabilities. The developed methodology considers several factors related to pedestrian facilities’ conditions and location to estimate the number of expected pedestrians with disabilities impacted by upgrading each inaccessible pedestrian facility. This methodology is designed to assist decision makers in state and local governments in the process of ranking and prioritizing inaccessible pedestrian facilities upgrade projects.

The strategic value of human factors engineering in control room modernization

Control room modernization is one of the most challenging and complex upgrade projects that a nuclear power plant can undertake. It can have almost as big an impact on operations as, for example, turbine replacement. The challenges of migrating an analog control system to a distributed control system are already well known and a number of nuclear utilities have embarked upon various levels of effort to upgrade some of the systems in the control room. When planning for control room upgrades, plants have to deal with a multitude of engineering, operational, and regulatory impacts. This will inevitably include several human factors considerations, such as workstation ergonomics, viewing angles, lighting, seating, new interaction modalities, new communication requirements, and new concepts of operation. In helping nuclear power utilities to deal with these challenges, the United States Department of Energy researchers located at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have developed research-based human factors design and evaluation methods to be used in the development of end-state concepts for modernized control rooms and to manage the various phases of the upgrade life cycle. The methodology includes interactive sessions with operators in INL's Human System Simulation Laboratory, three-dimensional modeling to visualize control board changes and operator-system interaction, and development of human-system prototypes to evaluate various aspects of proposed modifications. This methodology has been applied at a number of U.S. nuclear power plants where modernization projects are underway, including Exelon's Braidwood and Byron plants, and Arizona Public Service's Palo Verde plant. It was demonstrated that including this methodology in the plant's engineering process helps to ensure an integrated and cohesive outcome that is consistent with human factors engineering principles and provide substantial improvement in operator performance.