Speaker
Description
Authors: Mr Nikolas Paneras, Dr Yasser Mafi-Nejad.
Presenter: Mr Nikolas Paneras
Institute: Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Centre for Accelerator Science.
Presentation Title: "STAR Accelerator High Voltage Generator driver replacement"
Abstract:
The STAR Accelerator is a 2 MV Tandetron manufactured by High Voltage Engineering Europa. STAR is located in the Centre for Accelerator Science, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation, Australia. Commissioned in 2004, it has been reliably used for Ion Beam Analysis and Atomic Mass Spectrometry ever since.
In 2022, aging and obsolete electronics are posing a reliability threat to the STAR Accelerator. The high voltage generator driver is such an example. The analogue frequency synthesiser and phase locked loop driver board is populated with obsolete and no-longer available components. The driver had been incrementally repaired, however now the store of replacement parts has been depleted and a new solution is required.
This presentation will focus on the journey of re-designing the high voltage generator driver, including problem solving, technical hurdles and assumptions that had repercussions for the project.
Keywords:
Electrostatic Accelerator, Tandetron, High Voltage Generator, FPGA, Analogue Electronics, LabVIEW.
