Friday, August 10, 2012, 19:54

Target boat with TaC coating, inside covered with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, wrapped with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, contains a Ta foil with TaO coating.

See John's Ipad for their recipes.

Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 0.2 A/min, up to 830 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 2.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 3.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Friday, August 10, 2012, 19:54   Target boat with TaC coating, inside covered with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, wrapped with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, contains a Ta foil with TaO coating. See John's Ipad for their recipes. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 0.2 A/min, up to 830 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 2.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 3.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).

 Saturday, August 11, 2012, 19:15

Heating process was going smoothly up to 400 A. See Attachment 1.

Around 420 A, vacuum went up again and the voltage increased more quickly. It seems like resistance is building up. After reaching 530 A, the current was tapped down to 420 A in an effort to save the Ta boat. See Attachment 2.

The current will stay at 420 A for the weekend until John takes a look at this.

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Nikita Bernier wrote:  Friday, August 10, 2012, 19:54   Target boat with TaC coating, inside covered with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, wrapped with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, contains a Ta foil with TaO coating. See John's Ipad for their recipes. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 0.2 A/min, up to 830 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 2.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 3.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).    Saturday, August 11, 2012, 19:15 Heating process was going smoothly up to 400 A. See Attachment 1. Around 420 A, vacuum went up again and the voltage increased more quickly. It seems like resistance is building up. After reaching 530 A, the current was tapped down to 420 A in an effort to save the Ta boat. See Attachment 2. The current will stay at 420 A for the weekend until John takes a look at this.

 Monday, August 13, 2012, 13:46

 TGHT was ramped down at 2 A/min and then tapped down to 0A. See Attachment 1.  The target boat will be cooled down for about an hour before turning off the chiller.

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Nikita Bernier wrote: Nikita Bernier wrote:  Friday, August 10, 2012, 19:54   Target boat with TaC coating, inside covered with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, wrapped with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, contains a Ta foil with TaO coating. See John's Ipad for their recipes. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 0.2 A/min, up to 830 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 2.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 3.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).    Saturday, August 11, 2012, 19:15 Heating process was going smoothly up to 400 A. See Attachment 1. Around 420 A, vacuum went up again and the voltage increased more quickly. It seems like resistance is building up. After reaching 530 A, the current was tapped down to 420 A in an effort to save the Ta boat. See Attachment 2. The current will stay at 420 A for the weekend until John takes a look at this.    Monday, August 13, 2012, 13:46  TGHT was ramped down at 2 A/min and then tapped down to 0A. See Attachment 1.  The target boat will be cooled down for about an hour before turning off the chiller.

 Tuesday, August 14, 2012, 16:56

Summary:

The purpose of this experiment is to test the chemical and high temperature (1600C) resistance of a Ta foil (0.001" thick) coated with Ta2O5, so it can be used as the under-layer for the BeO sintering process.

The Ta2O5 (white powder, -325 mesh) was prepared in a non-aqueous solution and was sprayed on a piece of Ta foil. 

The coated foil was rolled up and inserted in a Ta-coated (previously sintered) target boat for heating.

The foil was heated up to 520A (~1200C) and evidently,Ta2O5 started to react with Ta foil, and the foil became brittle and cracked (see attachment#1).

In conclusion, Ta2O5 is not a good protection layer for Ta material - at least for our applications.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012, 15:44

This SiC target was prepared in May 2011 with the Evaporator#1.  The target will not used for online. 

Two endcaps were inserted with the new expansion tool.  The target will be heated up to the normal operating condition (TGHT =580A, TBHT = 230A). 

The chamber is currently being pumped down. 

 Tuesday, August 14, 2012, 16:21

Earlier, the Cu-heat shield was removed from the evaporator to replace the insulators, so all the seals were placed with new ones.  However,

there seems to be some leaks after the HS cooling water is turned on.  (see attachment#1).

The TP off, and the chamber is vented for investigation.

 Tuesday, August 14, 2012, 17:25

All the 3 seals for the Cu-heat shield were replaced.  The chamber has been pumped down and the HS water valve is open.  No leaks are detected.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012, 17:29

Initiated auto-ramping at 2A/min for both TGHT and TBHT.

Parameter constraints: good vac @ 2.0e-5 Torr, bad vac @ 3.0e-5 Torr.

Currently, IG1 @ 6.5e-6 Torr.

 Wednesday, August 15, 2012, 09:52

TGHT and TBHT have reached to 520A and 230A, respectively, and have stayed at the currents for about 10 hours. (see attachment #2) 

IG is currently at 7.7e-7 Torr.  

Initiating auto-cool down at 2A/min. 

 Thursday, August 16, 2012, 11:23

Chamber is vented.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012, 15:01

The Cu-heatshield insulators are broken due to prolong heating time during the target processes (see attachment#1). 

The insulators are replaced with the MM800 type (see attachment #2).

Monday, July 30, 2012, 15:38

The evaporator was used for the processing the NiO target for 8 days and it was discovered today that there was a puddle of water underneath the chiller. 

The cover of the chiller was removed and some water around the plumbing was found (see attachment #1). 

Will continue to keep running the chiller to see if there is more water leaking out...

 Sunday, July 22, 2012, 20:30

The NiO target materials were loaded into the container today.  

Total discs = 500, (10 discs/pack) 

length (after loaded) = 9.0cm 

Target container is wrapped with Ta-heat shields, and will be removed after the sintering process. 

One regular end cap is inserted (with Ni-foil inserted as a divider).  The caps, however, are very loose (tried 2 caps and still loose).  Hopefully the thermo diffusion bonding will seal the cap... 

The other end is inserted with a D-cap for out-gassing proposes, and will be replaced with the regular end-cap after the process. 

(see attachment#1)

Sunday, July 22, 2012, 20:48 

The camber has been pumped down and currently IG1=1.3e-6 Torr.

The HS cooling water was turned on and no leaks were detected.  

TGHT and TBHT were stepped up to 50A. 

Auto-ramping is initiated at 0.2A/min for TGHT max = 250A, TBHT max = 230A. 

 Thursday, July 26, 2012, 23:31

TGHT and TBHT have reached to 250A (local @ 242A/2.88V) and 230A, respectively, and have stayed for ~4hrs (see attachment#2)  

Currently, IGP1 = 4.9e-7 Torr, IGP2 = 3.5e-7 Torr, CG1B = 13mTorr. 

Initiating auto-cool down at 2A/min.  

 Monday, July 30, 2012, 15:11

The chamber was vented and the target was removed.

There was significant condensation oily fluid coated Cu-heatshield lid and around the ionizer opening.

Overall, the target looks very good.  The NiO target material was nicely sintered.  No shrinkage or loose particles were observed (see attachment #3).

The endcap, however, was not properly fitted and it just fell off, (see attachment #4). 

Both ends of the target are currently opened; the expension tool for the endcap is in order and hopefully this will solve the problem.

The target is being stored in the fumehood

Thursday, July 19, 2012, 16:58

The target container was coated with TaC. 

It's wrapped with 3 layers of Ta as the heat-shield, including the backblock.

TGHT will be ramped up to 580A at 0.2A/min.

TBHT will be ramped up to 230A at 0.2A/min.

Currently, IGP1 = 1.5e-6 Torr.  BP = 15mTorr

 Friday, July 20, 2012, 13:56

TGHT and TBHT reached to 580A & 230A, respectively, and stayed for ~ 2hrs. 

Measured temperature at the ionizer tube to be 1630C.

Cooling down in process at 2A/min...

 Sunday, July 22, 2012, 20:53

The chamber was vented earlier around 14:00hr.  

The target container looks good! 

Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 15:45

Target boat is filled with TaC coated regular- and D-endcaps. 

The boat is wrapped with a Ta heat-shield. 

Chamber is being pumped down, currently at 5e-6 Torr.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012, 15:58

Heat-shield cooling water valve opened; no leaks detected.

Initiated TGHT auto-ramping at 0.5A/min, set TGHT max at 580A.

 Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 10:44

Yesterday evening, the target heater tripped off a few times due to high vacuum excursion.  The TGHT ramping rate was low to 0.2A/min.  The current was ramped up sturdily to 500A this morning.  

Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 10:46

Increased ramping rate to 2A/min.  Vacuum currently at 2.2e-6 Torr.

 Wednesday, July 18, 2012, 16:18

TGHt has reached to 580A and stayed for about 5 hrs. 

Cooling down in process...  2A/min for TGHT --> 0A.

 Thursday, July 19, 2012, 10:31

TGHT reached to 0A. 

Evaporator is off. 

Venting chamber... 

Thursday, July 12, 2012, 17:29

NiO was sprayed on Ni foil.

Average/discs: mass= 0.075g, thickness=0.076mm, density = 7.023g/cm3.

4 set of samples were loaded onto the targetboat (coated/sintered with TaC).  A piece of Ta foil was used as the under layer (see attachment #1).

A 0.002" thick Ta foil was wrapped around the container as the heat-shield.

The chamber was pumped down to 5.0e-6 Torr before the cooling water valve was opened; no leaks was detected.

For this process, the target heater will only go up to 250A (~1100C), with auto-ramping rate at 0.5A/min.

The heater has been stepped up to 50A, local 32A/ 0.23V.  The vacuum reached to max 1.6e-5 Torr, and it's coming down.

Thursday, July 12, 2012, 17:51

Auto-ramping initiated...

 Friday, July 13, 2012, 09:42

TGHT reached to 250A and stayed for 6 hrs (see attachment #2).  At that current, the target wasn't glowing so the temperature could not be measured. 

Initiated auto-cooling at 2A/min. 

Friday, July 13, 2012, 11:00  

TGHT reached to 65A.  Stopped the auto-cooling process and manually tapped down the p/s to 0A.  

Vacuum is stable at 5.7e-7 Torr.  

In the next 30 min or so, the chamber will be vented and the NiO target material will be taken out for inspection. 

Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 17:23

New Target boat, with no coating, wrapped with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, contains 3 NiO pellets :

Sample,   # Disks,    Mass (g),    Thickness (mm)

1    12,  1.9396,  1.938

2    13,  0.9592,  0.847

3    25,  2.6675,  3.06

See John's Ipad for their recipes.

Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 0.5 A/min, up to 580 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 3.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 4.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).

Thursday, June 21, 2012, 18:14  

See attachment #1, 2 for the density measurements and the graph for the disc thickness  -JW 

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 17:23 New Target boat, with no coating, wrapped with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, contains NiO D-shape discs : Sample,   # Disks,    Mass (g),    Thickness (mm) 1    12,  1.9396,  1.938 2    13,  0.9592,  0.847 3    25,  2.6675,  3.06 See John's Ipad for their recipes. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 0.5 A/min, up to 580 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 3.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 4.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).

Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 22:28

TGHT tripped off at 78A due to high out-gassing pressure.  The current was tapped down to 75A before it was turned back on. 

Changed ramping rate from 0.5A/min to 0.2A/min.  

Initiate auto-ramping... 

 Thursday, June 21, 2012, 08:35

Vacuum has come down to 7e-7 as TGHT is being ramped up at 0.2A/min. (see attachment#1).

Increase TGHT rate to 2A/min.

The temperature should be measured when the heater gets up to around 500A.

John Wong wrote:

Nikita Bernier wrote: Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 17:23 New Target boat, with no coating, wrapped with a 0.002 inches thick Ta foil, contains NiO D-shape discs : Sample,   # Disks,    Mass (g),    Thickness (mm) 1    12,  1.9396,  1.938 2    13,  0.9592,  0.847 3    25,  2.6675,  3.06 See John's Ipad for their recipes. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 0.5 A/min, up to 580 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 3.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 4.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).   Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 22:28 TGHT tripped off at 78A due to high out-gassing pressure.  The current was tapped down to 75A before it was turned back on.  Changed ramping rate from 0.5A/min to 0.2A/min.   Initiate auto-ramping...   Thursday, June 21, 2012, 08:35 Vacuum has come down to 7e-7 as TGHT is being ramped up at 0.2A/min. (see attachment#1). Increase TGHT rate to 2A/min. The temperature should be measured when the heater gets up to around 500A.

 Thursday, June 21, 2012, 17:37

The NiO discs were heated up to 1500C at 560A.  The target heater was lowered in steps and the temperature was measured.  At 320A, the target container was ~1110C.  (see attachment #1) 

There was a sign of resistant on the target container as the p/s voltage started to go up at a higher rate.  (see attachment#2, 3, 4 for the archived striptool).

Unfortunately, the target container was broken; it was most likely reacted with the Ni.  (see attachment#5)

So.... the possible solution?!  TRY coating the container with Ta2O5.  Will discuss more in the Friday Jun 22 meeting. 

Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 12:24

The HP-SIS SiC target was made on Nov 03, 2010.  The target consists of 405 discs, 18.5cm in length.  It was sintered in the Evaporator#1. 

This target is going into Evap#2 for re-conditioning.  It is currently being pumped down. 

John Wong wrote:

Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 12:24 The HP-SIS SiC target was made on Nov 03, 2010.  The target consists of 405 discs, 18.5cm in length.  It was sintered in the Evaporator#1.  This target is going into Evap#2 for re-conditioning.  It is currently being pumped down.

Friday, May 18, 2012, 12:19 

The target is wrapped with only one heat shield.

Evaporator #2 Target Heater is now auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 820 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 2 V, between 2.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 3.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum). Tube Heater is auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 230 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 1 V. See attachments.

Nikita Bernier wrote:

John Wong wrote: Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 12:24 The HP-SIS SiC target was made on Nov 03, 2010.  The target consists of 405 discs, 18.5cm in length.  It was sintered in the Evaporator#1.  This target is going into Evap#2 for re-conditioning.  It is currently being pumped down.    Friday, May 18, 2012, 12:19  The target is wrapped with only one heat shield. Evaporator #2 Target Heater is now auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 820 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 2 V, between 2.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 3.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum). Tube Heater is auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 230 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 1 V. See attachments.

 Friday, May 18, 2012, 13:15

Increased TBHT voltage to 5V, and TGHT to 15V.  Currently, TBHT =83A, 0.986V, TGHT= 144A, 1.65V, IGP1 = 5.2e-7 Torr, IGP2 = 4.3e-7 Torr. 

Continue ramping up... 

 Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 12:02

TGHT and TBHT were ramped up to 830A/13.65V (local), and 235A/3.85V, respectively.  The target was conditioned over the long weekend.  

John Wong wrote:

Nikita Bernier wrote: John Wong wrote: Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 12:24 The HP-SIS SiC target was made on Nov 03, 2010.  The target consists of 405 discs, 18.5cm in length.  It was sintered in the Evaporator#1.  This target is going into Evap#2 for re-conditioning.  It is currently being pumped down.    Friday, May 18, 2012, 12:19  The target is wrapped with only one heat shield. Evaporator #2 Target Heater is now auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 820 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 2 V, between 2.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 3.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum). Tube Heater is auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 230 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 1 V. See attachments.  Friday, May 18, 2012, 13:15 Increased TBHT voltage to 5V, and TGHT to 15V.  Currently, TBHT =83A, 0.986V, TGHT= 144A, 1.65V, IGP1 = 5.2e-7 Torr, IGP2 = 4.3e-7 Torr.  Continue ramping up...   Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 12:02 TGHT and TBHT were ramped up to 830A/13.65V (local), and 235A/3.85V, respectively.  The target was conditioned over the long weekend.

 Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 12:13

Initiating the cool-down process at 5 A/min.

See archive plots of the Target Heater (Attachment 1) and the Tube Heater (Attachment 2).

Nikita Bernier wrote:

John Wong wrote: Nikita Bernier wrote: John Wong wrote: Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 12:24 The HP-SIS SiC target was made on Nov 03, 2010.  The target consists of 405 discs, 18.5cm in length.  It was sintered in the Evaporator#1.  This target is going into Evap#2 for re-conditioning.  It is currently being pumped down.    Friday, May 18, 2012, 12:19  The target is wrapped with only one heat shield. Evaporator #2 Target Heater is now auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 820 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 2 V, between 2.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 3.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum). Tube Heater is auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 230 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 1 V. See attachments.  Friday, May 18, 2012, 13:15 Increased TBHT voltage to 5V, and TGHT to 15V.  Currently, TBHT =83A, 0.986V, TGHT= 144A, 1.65V, IGP1 = 5.2e-7 Torr, IGP2 = 4.3e-7 Torr.  Continue ramping up...   Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 12:02 TGHT and TBHT were ramped up to 830A/13.65V (local), and 235A/3.85V, respectively.  The target was conditioned over the long weekend.      Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 12:13 Initiating the cool-down process at 5 A/min. See archive plots of the Target Heater (Attachment 1) and the Tube Heater (Attachment 2).

 Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 15:24

TGHT/TBHT were ramped down to 0A.  The target has cooled for about 45 min.  All pumps and chillers are off.  The chamber has been vented.

John Wong wrote:

Nikita Bernier wrote: John Wong wrote: Nikita Bernier wrote: John Wong wrote: Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 12:24 The HP-SIS SiC target was made on Nov 03, 2010.  The target consists of 405 discs, 18.5cm in length.  It was sintered in the Evaporator#1.  This target is going into Evap#2 for re-conditioning.  It is currently being pumped down.    Friday, May 18, 2012, 12:19  The target is wrapped with only one heat shield. Evaporator #2 Target Heater is now auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 820 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 2 V, between 2.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 3.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum). Tube Heater is auto-ramping at 0.5 A/min, up to 230 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 1 V. See attachments.  Friday, May 18, 2012, 13:15 Increased TBHT voltage to 5V, and TGHT to 15V.  Currently, TBHT =83A, 0.986V, TGHT= 144A, 1.65V, IGP1 = 5.2e-7 Torr, IGP2 = 4.3e-7 Torr.  Continue ramping up...   Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 12:02 TGHT and TBHT were ramped up to 830A/13.65V (local), and 235A/3.85V, respectively.  The target was conditioned over the long weekend.      Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 12:13 Initiating the cool-down process at 5 A/min. See archive plots of the Target Heater (Attachment 1) and the Tube Heater (Attachment 2).  Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 15:24 TGHT/TBHT were ramped down to 0A.  The target has cooled for about 45 min.  All pumps and chillers are off.  The chamber has been vented.

 Monday, June 11, 2012, 12:20

After the re-conditioning, the target's end-caps vaporized.  This is something happened before (see elog entries below):

https://elog.triumf.ca/TIS/Evaporator_1/20

https://elog.triumf.ca/TIS/Evaporator_1/22

The caps were removed and yellow crystals were observed. (see attachment#1).

The D-caps will be inserted in both ends and will be re-conditioned again to see if the yellow crystals can be removed at high temperature.

Thursday, April 05, 2012, 16:31

Target boat contains 6 BeO pellets :

Sample,   Mass (g),   Thickness (mm),   Density (g/cm3)

1   1.2842,    5.406,        1.4647
2   1.2619,    5.150,        1.5108
3   1.2886,    5.316,        1.4946
4   1.2858,    5.310,        1.4931

5   1.3382,    5.520,        1.4948
6   1.3916,    5.650,        1.5187

Samples are made of BeO powder with 30% PVB which was treated at 400 RPM for 26 minutes. A ratio of 1:0.1 of mineral oil was added before another high speed treatment for 10 minutes. The powder was then pressed into pellets.

Pellets are loaded on a target boat coated/sintered with TaC. The target boat is wrapped with a Ta foil that is 0.002 inches thick.

**** Sintering is postponed until the situation with the ventilation in the lab06 is cleared. ****

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Thursday, April 05, 2012, 16:31 Target boat contains 6 BeO pellets : Sample,   Mass (g),   Thickness (mm),   Density (g/cm3) 1   1.2842,    5.406,        1.4647 2   1.2619,    5.150,        1.5108 3   1.2886,    5.316,        1.4946 4   1.2858,    5.310,        1.4931 5   1.3382,    5.520,        1.4948 6   1.3916,    5.650,        1.5187   Samples are made of BeO powder with 30% PVB which was treated at 400 RPM for 26 minutes. A ratio of 1:0.1 of mineral oil was added before another high speed treatment for 10 minutes. The powder was then pressed into pellets. Pellets are loaded on a target boat coated/sintered with TaC. The target boat is wrapped with a Ta foil that is 0.002 inches thick. **** Sintering is postponed until the situation with the ventilation in the lab06 is cleared. ****

 Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 16:44

Target chamber is currently being pumped down. Leak check will be done tomorrow by turning on the cooling water for the heat shield.

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Nikita Bernier wrote: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 16:31 Target boat contains 6 BeO pellets : Sample,   Mass (g),   Thickness (mm),   Density (g/cm3) 1   1.2842,    5.406,        1.4647 2   1.2619,    5.150,        1.5108 3   1.2886,    5.316,        1.4946 4   1.2858,    5.310,        1.4931 5   1.3382,    5.520,        1.4948 6   1.3916,    5.650,        1.5187   Samples are made of BeO powder with 30% PVB which was treated at 400 RPM for 26 minutes. A ratio of 1:0.1 of mineral oil was added before another high speed treatment for 10 minutes. The powder was then pressed into pellets. Pellets are loaded on a target boat coated/sintered with TaC. The target boat is wrapped with a Ta foil that is 0.002 inches thick. **** Sintering is postponed until the situation with the ventilation in the lab06 is cleared. ****    Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 16:44 Target chamber is currently being pumped down. Leak check will be done tomorrow by turning on the cooling water for the heat shield.

 Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 17:38

TGHT was stepped up to about 55A before the auto ramping was initiated.  The vacuum limit parameter was set for good vac at <4.0 e-5 Torr and bad vac at >5.0 e0-5 Torr. 

The pressure is coming close to the trip limit (8.5 e-5 Torr) (see attachment 1: strip tool over the past 5 hours).  Changed the vacuum limit parameter:  good vac =3.0e-5 Torr, bad vac= 4.0e-5 Torr. 

 Saturday, May 26, 2012, 10:44

TGHT is auto ramping up smoothly as the pressure is regulating between 1e-5 to 4 e-5 torr.  (See attachment 2, past 21 hr)

Sunday, May 27, 2012, 12:25  

There could be a power bump  early this morning at 06:30hr, and tripped off the TGHT power supply (see attachment #3).  The computer in the cold lab was found to be off expectedly, so the alarm handler running on that computer was also shut off (*Need a UPS on this computer!)  

Called the ISAC Ops, and  nothing about any power bump around that time was noticed.  

Turned on TGHT p/s and set TGHT at 318A, local at 315A/4.58V.  TGHT has been running for about 10 mins.  Currently vac at 4.2e-7 Torr.  

Sunday, May 27, 2012, 12:35

Initiating TGHT auto ramping... 

 Monday, May 28, 2012, 00:20

TGHT has reached to 600A and will remain at that current for the rest of the night.  The target oven temperature will be measured tomorrow.

See attachment#4 for the striptool over the past 10hr.

 Monday, May 28, 2012, 10:56

TGHT stayed at 600A for about 12 hours.  Pressure gradually came down to 7.6e-7 Torr. (See attachment #5). 

At TGHT=600A, The target boat temperature was measured at 1400C (with the pyrometer), and the Ta-heat shield (1-layer) was at 1050C. [Note: These temperature measurements are very closed to the measurements with an empty LP target (with not heat shield), TGHT @ 600A = 1360C].

Monday, May 28, 2012, 11:04

Due to the water leak from the Evap2 chiller, the system has to be shut off for inspection. 

TGHT was tapped down to 0A.  The target was cooled down for about 20min before the chiller was turned off.

Will continue with the process after the problem is solved...

John Wong wrote:

Nikita Bernier wrote: Nikita Bernier wrote: Thursday, April 05, 2012, 16:31 Target boat contains 6 BeO pellets : Sample,   Mass (g),   Thickness (mm),   Density (g/cm3) 1   1.2842,    5.406,        1.4647 2   1.2619,    5.150,        1.5108 3   1.2886,    5.316,        1.4946 4   1.2858,    5.310,        1.4931 5   1.3382,    5.520,        1.4948 6   1.3916,    5.650,        1.5187   Samples are made of BeO powder with 30% PVB which was treated at 400 RPM for 26 minutes. A ratio of 1:0.1 of mineral oil was added before another high speed treatment for 10 minutes. The powder was then pressed into pellets. Pellets are loaded on a target boat coated/sintered with TaC. The target boat is wrapped with a Ta foil that is 0.002 inches thick. **** Sintering is postponed until the situation with the ventilation in the lab06 is cleared. ****    Tuesday, May 22, 2012, 16:44 Target chamber is currently being pumped down. Leak check will be done tomorrow by turning on the cooling water for the heat shield.  Wednesday, May 23, 2012, 17:38 TGHT was stepped up to about 55A before the auto ramping was initiated.  The vacuum limit parameter was set for good vac at <4.0 e-5 Torr and bad vac at >5.0 e0-5 Torr.  The pressure is coming close to the trip limit (8.5 e-5 Torr) (see attachment 1: strip tool over the past 5 hours).  Changed the vacuum limit parameter:  good vac =3.0e-5 Torr, bad vac= 4.0e-5 Torr.   Saturday, May 26, 2012, 10:44 TGHT is auto ramping up smoothly as the pressure is regulating between 1e-5 to 4 e-5 torr.  (See attachment 2, past 21 hr) Sunday, May 27, 2012, 12:25   There could be a power bump  early this morning at 06:30hr, and tripped off the TGHT power supply (see attachment #3).  The computer in the cold lab was found to be off expectedly, so the alarm handler running on that computer was also shut off (*Need a UPS on this computer!)   Called the ISAC Ops, and  nothing about any power bump around that time was noticed.   Turned on TGHT p/s and set TGHT at 318A, local at 315A/4.58V.  TGHT has been running for about 10 mins.  Currently vac at 4.2e-7 Torr.   Sunday, May 27, 2012, 12:35 Initiating TGHT auto ramping...   Monday, May 28, 2012, 00:20 TGHT has reached to 600A and will remain at that current for the rest of the night.  The target oven temperature will be measured tomorrow. See attachment#4 for the striptool over the past 10hr.  Monday, May 28, 2012, 10:56 TGHT stayed at 600A for about 12 hours.  Pressure gradually came down to 7.6e-7 Torr. (See attachment #5).  At TGHT=600A, The target boat temperature was measured at 1400C (with the pyrometer), and the Ta-heat shield (1-layer) was at 1050C. [Note: These temperature measurements are very closed to the measurements with an empty LP target (with not heat shield), TGHT @ 600A = 1360C]. Monday, May 28, 2012, 11:04 Due to the water leak from the Evap2 chiller, the system has to be shut off for inspection.  TGHT was tapped down to 0A.  The target was cooled down for about 20min before the chiller was turned off. Will continue with the process after the problem is solved...

 Tuesday, May 29, 2012, 15:30

Evap2 was vented out and the pellets were taken out of the boat and examined.

The six pellets are cracked and have a greyish colour. The cracking is probably caused by the instant cooling and reheating when the system tripped on Sunday morning.

The light grey colour and white spots suggest that the sintering process was not completed and so the shrinkage cannot be determined.

A new batch of BeO pellets will have to be prepared and sintered in order to determine the dimensions of the final die.

Monday, May 28, 2012, 11:08

It was discovered this morning that the Evaporator #2 chiller was leaking water from the bottom (see attachment 1).  A puddle of water was formed and eventually found its way down to the Hotcell. 

The evaporator was running over the weekend for the BeO pellets process.  The TGHT is now off and the chiller will be inspected... 

 Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 17:00

It was found that there were water droplets from the TBHT cooling line.  The joint is leaky.  (see attachment 1) 

A message has sent to Rick M. 

John Wong wrote:

Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 17:00 It was found that there were water droplets from the TBHT cooling line.  The joint is leaky.  (see attachment 1)  A message has sent to Rick M.

 Wednesday, May 16, 2012, 14:01

The connector was re-tighten.  The water valve was opened, and no water leaks were found.

 Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 17:03

The tube heater power supply current readback and setpoint are not matching.  Ray Dube checked the power supply and confirmed that it is faulty.  He will replace a functional p/s tomorrow. 

 Friday, May 18, 2012, 13:24

The original p/s was replaced with a new one and there was still a discrepancy between the readback and the setpoint.  After checking with the drawings for the ITE/ITW tube heaters, it was confirmed that the connections for the Evap#2 tube heater control were wrong.  (see attachment 1).  The connections were corrected and the power supply is now operational. 

 Tuesday, May 15, 2012, 13:45

It was discovered that one of the insulators that supported the target module broke apart (see Attachment#1).  This might be caused by the heat from the target legs that reflected back from the base to the insulators.  The burnt marks are the evidence.  

A stainless metal sheet is used as the heat shield  (see Attachment #2). 

Tuesday, April 03, 2012, 08:54

Yesterday, a new target boat was sprayed with TaC coating and let dried.

The boat was then installed in the Evap#2 chamber and pumped down to 10-6 Torr before the target heater was turned on.  NOTE: Target boat is not wrapped with Ta-heat shield. 

TGHT auto ramping was initiated at 2.0A/min and max setpoint to 700A.  The voltage was set at 3V; therefore, the current only ramped up to 250A over night.

--> Increased the TGHT voltage to 15A, and continue ramping the TGHT to 700A.  Currently vac at low 2.3e-7 Torr. 

 Tuesday, April 03, 2012, 09:12

The vac is at low 10e-7 as the TGHT is ramping up.  Changing ramping rate from 2A/min to 5A/min. 

Tuesday, April 03, 2012, 12:00  

TGHT reached to 700A. Measured temp @ 1280C. 

Tapped up TGHT to:

800A.  Measured temp @ 1400C. 

850A (local 843A/15.60V). Measured temp @ 1450C.  

900A (local 893A/16.88V).  Measured temp @ 1500C

 Tuesday, April 03, 2012, 14:35:

Try autoramping TGHT to 1000A but voltage has gone up close to the max limit (20V).  TGHT could only go up to ~970A (see attachment 1: TGHT_maxcurrent.jpg).  The heater remained at that current for ~1hr but auto cooling was initiated - at 10A/min.

 Thursday, March 29, 2012, 19:17

Target boat contains 3 BeO pellets :

Sample,   Thickness (mm),   Mass (g),  Density (g/cm3)

1    9.06,  1.9713,  1.413

2    9.11,  1.9900,  1.419

3  13.54,  1.9916,  0.956

Samples 1 and 2 are made of BeO powder with 30% PVB which was washed with excess acetone and let to dry on a greased baking sheet (with PAM Butter flavoured). The flakes were then milled for 26 minutes at 400 RPM. It resulted in a very fine grey powder, much denser than the BeO powder with 30% PVB (not washed with acetone) that was used for Sample 3.

The initial settings on Evaporator #2 were 100 A and 0.83 V until the vacuum increased.

Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 1 A/min, up to 700 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 5.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 6.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Thursday, March 29, 2012, 19:17   Target boat contains 3 BeO pellets : Sample,   Thickness (mm),   Mass (g),  Density (g/cm3) 1    9.06,  1.9713,  1.413 2    9.11,  1.9900,  1.416 3  13.54,  1.9916,  0.956   Samples 1 and 2 are made of BeO powder with 30% PVB which was washed with excess acetone and let to dry on a greased baking sheet (with PAM Butter flavoured). The flakes were then milled for 26 minutes at 400 RPM. It resulted in a very fine grey powder, much denser than the BeO powder with 30% PVB (not washed with acetone) that was used for Sample 3. The initial settings on Evaporator #2 were 100 A and 0.83 V until the vacuum increased. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 1 A/min, up to 700 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 5.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 6.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).

 Thursday, March 29, 2012, 22:31:

TGHT tripped off a few times over the past hours.  After changing the Good Vac to 2.00e-5 torr and Bad Vac to 3.00e-5 Torr, the target heater are regulating properly and the max pressure is well maintained below 6.5e-5 Torr [Trip point @ 8.0e-5 Torr].  (see attachment#1: parameter.jpg)

John Wong wrote:

Nikita Bernier wrote:  Thursday, March 29, 2012, 19:17   Target boat contains 3 BeO pellets : Sample,   Thickness (mm),   Mass (g),  Density (g/cm3) 1    9.06,  1.9713,  1.413 2    9.11,  1.9900,  1.416 3  13.54,  1.9916,  0.956   Samples 1 and 2 are made of BeO powder with 30% PVB which was washed with excess acetone and let to dry on a greased baking sheet (with PAM Butter flavoured). The flakes were then milled for 26 minutes at 400 RPM. It resulted in a very fine grey powder, much denser than the BeO powder with 30% PVB (not washed with acetone) that was used for Sample 3. The initial settings on Evaporator #2 were 100 A and 0.83 V until the vacuum increased. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 1 A/min, up to 700 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 5.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 6.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).        Thursday, March 29, 2012, 22:31: TGHT tripped off a few times over the past hours.  After changing the Good Vac to 2.00e-5 torr and Bad Vac to 3.00e-5 Torr, the target heater are regulating properly and the max pressure is well maintained below 6.5e-5 Torr [Trip point @ 8.0e-5 Torr].  (see attachment#1: parameter.jpg)

Friday, March 30, 2012, 23:19  

Archive of the target current and vacuum over the past 24 hours.  (see attachment #1: archive_24hr)

Saturday, March 31, 2012, 12:12

The organic materials have been burnt off.  The target heater ramping up is no longer restricted by the vacuum limit. 

Archive of the target current and vacuum over the past 10 hours. (see attachment #2: TGHT@240A). 

 Saturday, March 31, 2012, 22:52

TGHT has stayed at 700A/12.37V, local @ 693A/12.43 = Temp @ 1780C.  

The striptool shows some out-gassing when TGHT reached to 700A. (see attachment #3 marked with black circle: TGHT@700A.jpg)

Increasing TGHT to 750A to see if there is any further reaction...  

Sunday, April 01, 2012, 10:24  

TGHT was ramped up to 750A, local 730A/13.90V.  The pressure has come down to low 10e-6 but not stable;  Some reaction may be ongoing therefore it's causing the vacuum excursion.  (See attachment #4: TGHT @ 750A).  Notice the current readback is not constant and it's slowly decreasing as the voltage readback is increasing.  There might be some resistant building up.

--> Initiating the cool-down process at 2A/min. 

Sunday, April 01, 2012, 19:30  

TGHT has ramped down to 0A, and the pressure is going down (currently at 7.e-8 Torr) with no excursion.  (see attachment #5: TGHT@0A). 

The chamber will be vented tomorrow, and the target materials will be inspected. 

John Wong wrote:

John Wong wrote: Nikita Bernier wrote:  Thursday, March 29, 2012, 19:17   Target boat contains 3 BeO pellets : Sample,   Thickness (mm),   Mass (g),  Density (g/cm3) 1    9.06,  1.9713,  1.413 2    9.11,  1.9900,  1.416 3  13.54,  1.9916,  0.956   Samples 1 and 2 are made of BeO powder with 30% PVB which was washed with excess acetone and let to dry on a greased baking sheet (with PAM Butter flavoured). The flakes were then milled for 26 minutes at 400 RPM. It resulted in a very fine grey powder, much denser than the BeO powder with 30% PVB (not washed with acetone) that was used for Sample 3. The initial settings on Evaporator #2 were 100 A and 0.83 V until the vacuum increased. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 1 A/min, up to 700 A, with the maximum voltage limited at 14 V, between 5.00e-05 (Good vacuum) and 6.00e-05 Torr (Bad vacuum).        Thursday, March 29, 2012, 22:31: TGHT tripped off a few times over the past hours.  After changing the Good Vac to 2.00e-5 torr and Bad Vac to 3.00e-5 Torr, the target heater are regulating properly and the max pressure is well maintained below 6.5e-5 Torr [Trip point @ 8.0e-5 Torr].  (see attachment#1: parameter.jpg) Friday, March 30, 2012, 23:19   Archive of the target current and vacuum over the past 24 hours.  (see attachment #1: archive_24hr) Saturday, March 31, 2012, 12:12 The organic materials have been burnt off.  The target heater ramping up is no longer restricted by the vacuum limit.  Archive of the target current and vacuum over the past 10 hours. (see attachment #2: TGHT@240A).   Saturday, March 31, 2012, 22:52 TGHT has stayed at 700A/12.37V, local @ 693A/12.43 = Temp @ 1780C.   The striptool shows some out-gassing when TGHT reached to 700A. (see attachment #3 marked with black circle: TGHT@700A.jpg) Increasing TGHT to 750A to see if there is any further reaction...   Sunday, April 01, 2012, 10:24   TGHT was ramped up to 750A, local 730A/13.90V.  The pressure has come down to low 10e-6 but not stable;  Some reaction may be ongoing therefore it's causing the vacuum excursion.  (See attachment #4: TGHT @ 750A).  Notice the current readback is not constant and it's slowly decreasing as the voltage readback is increasing.  There might be some resistant building up. --> Initiating the cool-down process at 2A/min.  Sunday, April 01, 2012, 19:30   TGHT has ramped down to 0A, and the pressure is going down (currently at 7.e-8 Torr) with no excursion.  (see attachment #5: TGHT@0A).  The chamber will be vented tomorrow, and the target materials will be inspected.

 Monday, April 02, 2012, 16:11

After sintering , the 3 BeO pellets have shrunk and feel robust.

The first sample ate through the Ta target boat, shrank a lot and has white and black marks. We suspect the PAM (mostly made of canola oil) to be responsible for the boat damage and the weird sintering process (see John's posts).

Sample 2 is holding well.

Sample 3, which was not washed with acetone, shows some cracks.

Sample,   Thickness (mm),   Mass (g),  Density (g/cm3)

1    -----,  0.6254,  -----

2   5.81,  0.9229,  1.032

3   8.89,  1.1073,  0.809

The average mass before sintering was 1.9843 g. After sintering, 0.8852 g. Thus the average mass loss is 0.9757  (49.0%).

We are starting a new batch of treated powder washed with acetone without PAM.

 Monday, March 19, 2012, 17:04

Target boat contains 4 BeO pellets with 30% PVB:

Sample,   Thickness (mm),   Mass (g),  Density (g/cm3)

1   4.943,  0.9628,  1.265

2  4.930,  0.9685,  1.276

3  4.758,  0.9607,  1.312

4  4.979,  0.9872,  1.288

Target chamber is currently being pumped down. Leak check will be done tomorrow by turning on the cooling water for the heat shield. 

Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 18:30

The Evaporator #2 backing pump (IEVAP2BP1) muffler has been connected to the exhaust system.

The auto-ramp program has been tested today and works well.

Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 1 A/min, up to 500 A, between 5.00e-05 and 6.00e-05 Torr.

ISAC ops have been informed of the process and they will include it in their walkaround.

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Monday, March 19, 2012, 17:04   Target boat contains 4 BeO pellets with 30% PVB: Sample,   Thickness (mm),   Mass (g),  Density (g/cm3) 1   4.943,  0.9628,  1.265 2  4.930,  0.9685,  1.276 3  4.758,  0.9607,  1.312 4  4.979,  0.9872,  1.288   Target chamber is currently being pumped down. Leak check will be done tomorrow by turning on the cooling water for the heat shield.

 Tuesday, March 20, 2012, 14:35

It was found out that the Evaporator #2 backing pump (IEVAP2BP1) muffler is not connected to the exhaust system.  The sintering process is on hold until the pump is properly setup (see message ID#7 for more details). 

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Monday, March 19, 2012, 17:04   Target boat contains 4 BeO pellets with 30% PVB: Sample,   Thickness (mm),   Mass (g),  Density (g/cm3) 1   4.943,  0.9628,  1.265 2  4.930,  0.9685,  1.276 3  4.758,  0.9607,  1.312 4  4.979,  0.9872,  1.288   Target chamber is currently being pumped down. Leak check will be done tomorrow by turning on the cooling water for the heat shield.   * Note: Target a boat is wrapped with a piece of Ta-foil as a heat shield - JW. Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 18:30 The Evaporator #2 backing pump (IEVAP2BP1) muffler has been connected to the exhaust system. The auto-ramp program has been tested today and works well. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 1 A/min, up to 500 A, between 5.00e-05 and 6.00e-05 Torr. ISAC ops have been informed of the process and they will include it in their walkaround.

 Thursday, March 22, 2012, 00:25

TGHT SETPOINT was ramped up to 266A but the actual p/s current remained at 90A; that was because the voltage was set 1.05V.  (See attachment1: voltage_limiting.jpg). 

Increased TGHT voltage to 20V, and increased the auto-ramping final value from 500A to 1000A (~1780C as previously measured by a pyrometer, see Attachment 2: Temp-Cal vs Measured.jgp)

Thursday, March 22, 2012, 10:17 

TGHT  ramped up at the rate of 1A/min to 534A/8.89V, local @ 525A/8.90V.  Pressure is coming down to low 10e-6. (See attachment 3: TGHT_525A.jpg)

Increased ramping rate to 2A/min until TGHT reaches to 1000A.

Thursday, March 22, 2012, 13:32

A decision was made to stop the TGHT autoramping program, and set the current to 700A, (local at 690A).  The temperature was measured to be around 1780C on the target boat, and

1500C on the Ta-heat shield.  The current remained at that current for about 2 hours before it's ramping down at zero at -10A/min.

Nikita Bernier wrote:

Monday, March 19, 2012, 17:04   Target boat contains 4 BeO pellets with 30% PVB: Sample,   Thickness (mm),   Mass (g),  Density (g/cm3) 1   4.943,  0.9628,  1.265 2  4.930,  0.9685,  1.276 3  4.758,  0.9607,  1.312 4  4.979,  0.9872,  1.288   Target chamber is currently being pumped down. Leak check will be done tomorrow by turning on the cooling water for the heat shield.    Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 18:30 The Evaporator #2 backing pump (IEVAP2BP1) muffler has been connected to the exhaust system. The auto-ramp program has been tested today and works well. Evaporator #2 is now auto-ramping overnight at 1 A/min, up to 500 A, between 5.00e-05 and 6.00e-05 Torr. ISAC ops have been informed of the process and they will include it in their walkaround.

After sintering at up to 500 A (~1000°C), the 4 BeO pellets have shrunk and feel robust. We can manipulate them with tweesers or hands. Also we can drop them from a couple of inches high and they don't break.

One of the pellets rolled to the extremity of the target boat tube and still has black traces from bad sintering on one side.

Sample,  Thickness (mm),  Mass (g),  Diameter (mm),  Density (g/cm3)

1  3.688,  0.7118,  11.231,  1.948

2  3.822,  0.7196,  11.241,  1.897

3  3.810,  0.7037,  11.188,  1.879

4  3.803,  0.7077,  11.269,  1.866

The average thickness before sintering was 4.90 mm. After sintering, 3.78 mm. Thus the average thickness loss is 1.12 mm (22.9%)

The average mass before sintering was 0.9698 g. After sintering, 0.7107 g. Thus the average mass loss is 0.2591 g (26.7%)

The average diameter before sintering was 14.35 mm. After sintering, 11.23 mm. Thus the average diameter loss is 3.12 mm (21.7%)

The average density after sintering is 1.897 g/cm3, compared to the density of BeO (3.01 g/cm3). Thus the pellets have a BeO density of 63.0%.

Evaporator #2 is now off.

 Tuesday, March 20, 2012, 14:22

The Evaporator #2 backing pump (IEVAP2:BP1) muffler has not connected to the exhaust duct.

 See attachment#1 as to where the muffler should be connected to the exhaust ducting system.  

The Evaporator chamber is currently under vacuum; the BeO sintering process will be pending for now until the backing pump is properly installed. 

(ISAC E-fault 5880) 

 Wednesday, March 21, 2012, 13:55

Edi Dalla Valle is connecting the evaporator backing scroll pump exhaust to the existing nuclear exhaust. (See attachment#2: scroll_pump_exhause.jpg).  A filter is also added between the exhaust line 

to prevent any back flow of oil from the Evaporator #1 backing pump (An oil pump). 

Work is covered under ISAC WP# 2012-03-21-3.

The evaporator is now operational. 

Thursday, March 01, 2012, 14:35

Both the IEVAP2:TBHT and IEVAP2:TGHT maximum current setpoints on the vacuum page (see page: /edl/ievap2_vacuum1.edl) are wrong. 

For IEVAP2:TGHT, the maximum current setpoint should be 1500A (see page: /edl/ievap2tghtcp.edl), not 1000A. 

For IEVAP2:TBHT, the maximum current setpoint should be 500A (see page: /edl/ievap2tbhtcp.edl), not 300A. 

See attachement#1 for grabscreen. 

Fault: 5853