AVS 46th International Symposium
    Vacuum Technology Division Tuesday Sessions
       Session VT-TuM

Paper VT-TuM10
Partial Pressure Analyzers in the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider

Tuesday, October 26, 1999, 11:20 am, Room 610

Session: Total and Partial Pressure Gauging
Presenter: L.A. Smart, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Authors: L.A. Smart, Brookhaven National Laboratory
D. Loughlin, Brookhaven National Laboratory
R.J. Todd, Brookhaven National Laboratory
R.C. Lee, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
The Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory incorporates large-scale high and ultrahigh vacuum systems. Partial pressure analyzers (PPAs) are employed to monitor the gas composition of these volumes remotely. PPAs with faraday cup detectors are placed along cryostat vessels that are up to 480 meters long. Data trends in both displacement and time are used to indicate helium or air leaks into the system and their probable locations. Electron multiplier units are employed to peer into the ultrahigh vacuum beam chambers near the interaction region detectors, where beam-on-beam collisions occur. The acquisition, testing, installation and control of the PPAs will be discussed with a summary of the system performance in the first few months of RHIC operation.