Low-Level Radio Frequency (LLRF) Workshop 2025

Operational Experience with the Proton Power Upgrade Low-Level RF Control System

Oct 14, 2025, 9:45 AM

20m

Newport News Marriott at City Center

Oral or Poster

Speaker

Mark Crofford (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

Description

The Proton Power Upgrade (PPU) Project was recently completed for the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and has doubled the proton beam power capability from 1.4 MW to 2.8 MW with 2 MW beam power available to the first target station. A second target station project is under development to utilize the remaining beam power. The SNS has completed the first operational periods with the full complement of PPU hardware utilized. For the PPU, twenty-nine new MicroTCA-based LLRF control systems were installed to solve the obsolescence issues with the existing systems and to add capabilities required for the future second target station. The controls software for the LLRF system was rewritten to take advantage of the new features available. The performance of the new control systems, along with minor corrections to the systems will be presented.