Paper VT-TuP5
The ESS Vacuum Control System Concept

Tuesday, October 20, 2015, 6:30 pm, Room Hall 3

The European Spallation Source (ESS) is a high current proton LINAC to be built in Lund, Sweden. The LINAC will deliver 5 MW of power to the target at 2000 MeV, with a nominal current of 74 Ma. Ground break took place in September 2014 and the construction of the accelerator tunnel and adjacent buildings progresses rapidly.

Although the different LINAC sections will be in-kind contributions from the several member countries, the accelerator vacuum control system and the machine protection system, will be mainly designed and build in-house which requires a tight collaboration between the Integrated Control System Division (ICS) and the Vacuum Team of the Accelerator Division (AD) of ESS.

The Vacuum control system is based on PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) technology and on EPICS (Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System) SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition). Each accelerator section has one or more PLCs to control the different valves by acting on the analog and interlock signals from the gauge- and pump-controllers through a pre defined voting scheme. EPICS modules will be used as the interface between the operator screen and the vacuum controllers. Besides local interlocks for vacuum, machine protection interlocks shall be integrated in the control system for the protection of the LINAC. This integration will provide beam permission to the beam interlock system when all nominal conditions for vacuum are met.

A set of control and machine protection functions will define the vacuum controls system architecture and implementation. This contribution will discuss the design of the ESS proton LINAC vacuum control system, strictly complying with all identified control and protection functions.