LANL, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
Many were perplexed at the inability of Module 3 at LANSCE to operate at peak power and duty factor while running production beam. During the 2018 production run, the DTL began to intermittently break down, leading to a series of root cause investigations. These analyses included eliminating the usual suspects: vacuum leak, debris in tank, driveline window, power coupler, etc. The throttling back of repetition rate from 120 to 60 Hz allowed continued production with a diminished beam, one that reduced neutron flux to three experimental areas. During the annual shutdown in 2019, a more thorough investigation involving the use of x-ray detection, high-resolution cameras and IR detection through site glass windows was performed. After a tenacious search, a 30 cm long crack was discovered in a weld at one of the ion pump port grates. Inaccessibility for welding from the outside and in a confined space, non-intrusive repairs were tried first but were unsuccessful. Ultimately, an expert welder entered the tank to weld the crack under unfamiliar welding conditions. This paper describes the diagnoses, non-intrusive solutions and ultimate repair of the crack in the accelerating structure.
