Thursday, June 12 was a special day for the ARIEL electron linear accelerator (e-linac) project. It marked the 700th cable pulled for the e-linac installation, and halfway to completion of cable pulls for equipment in the electron hall (e-hall). The e-linac cables are being used threefold: for power, control and data acquisition.
Beneath the e-hall roof, under 5 feet of concrete shielding, the e-linac is being assembled in a cavernous chamber next to TRIUMF's main cyclotron. The e-linac––comprised of the electron gun, two cryomodules, and the electron beam transport––includes about a hundred focusing and steering magnets, dozens of corrector magnets, beam position monitors (BPMs), and beam diagnostic devices. All of the power supplies for the equipment are housed on the e-hall roof and the cables are pulled down three levels to reach the e-linac components. Each and every device must be powered and serviced through these cables; otherwise, the e-linac will not operate. Each cable threaded from the platform down to the e-hall brings the September 30 objective of a 25 MeV electron beam in the e-hall one step closer.
Cable Installation Supervisor Damien Gallop has coordinated the cable-pulling project, which pulled its first cable on March 12, 2014. He described the enjoyable challenges of his role as he hops, ducks and swerves around the numerous areas of the e-linac in order to connect the endless spools of cable. As the team waits for various components of the e-linac to be installed, there is no reason to wait! Cables are brought down from the e-hall roof, wrapped up tightly and hung like bats around the room ready to be plugged into action. This endeavor has harnessed the efforts of over 60 people from the Science and Accelerator Divisions.
E-Linac Project Leader Shane Koscielniak thanks all of the cable pullers. TRIUMF Director Jonathan Bagger, who said that one of the things that attracted him to TRIUMF was the strong cooperative spirit, was on-site during the cable-pulling milestone event. This was a clear example of the laboratory literally "pulling together."
By Shane Koscielniak, E-Linac Project Leader, and Kyla Shauer, Communications Assistant
Middle Photo: The cable-pullers are atop the e-hall roof alongside dozens of emptied cable spools to show the momentous project.
Bottom Photo: The cables feed into the e-linac (pictured). Photo by Kyla Shauer.
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