This is a list of all the trolleys and other equipment witch were checked and serviced prior to work in the Cyclotron.

- Video Trolley cleaned and checked (no adjustments needed)

-Lift Trolley cleaned and checked (no adjustments needed)

- Left Outrigger cleaned and checked

 All of the bearings in the festooning wheels  were changed.

  Drive chain needed adjustment. (modification to wheel mounting bracket so that chain could be adjusted)

-Right Outrigger cleaned and checked

 All of the bearings in the festooning wheels were changed.

 Drive chain needed adjustment. (modification to wheel mounting bracket so that the chain could be adjusted)

-Tool Trolley cleaned and checked

 One of the support wheels was checked and found to be out of alignment. (an adjustment was made to correct the problem) 

-Upper Resonator Trolley cleaned and checked (no adjustments needed)

-Service Bridge cleaned and checked

  Center post mount was rotated by hand. (no adjustment needed)

-Service Bridge Carrier cleaned and checked

 The two hydraulic cylinders witch lift the Service Bridge into the Cyclotron leaked last year.They were rebuilt last year and are not leaking.

 The two drive chains witch run the Carrier North and South were found to be too tight. (an adjustment was made to correct the problem)

All trolleys work electrically and control wise. One encoder was found non functioning on the upper resonator trolley for the vertical drive it was replaced, we've no move replacements of those current type of encoders so a wholesale replacement of all the trolley's encoders will have to be done post shutdown. Also the wiring for the outrigger is in need of replacement but will work for this shutdown it will also have to be replaced post shutdown as well. The upper resonator trolley has also been setup to remove X2C.

Routine maintenance as per Mike Gallop's written procedure took place in December with the only non routine service being the changing of shaft seals on Vacuum trolley drive reduction box.

Trolleys maintained - Lift trolley

                                     - Vacuum trolley / Tool trolley

                                     - Camera trolley

                                     - Upper resonator trolley

Old fittings and broken pneumatic tubing on the FTRF jig have been replaced with new push-connect fittings and polyurethane tubing. The jig was previously not in a functioning state due to damaged tubing. A pneumatic diagram was created in the process of the upgrade. The tubing will be cleaned up within the next few days and the jig tested.

On Feb. 24 while practising a training exercise, the lower resonator trolley unexpectedly experienced a radial drive failure. The trolley did not move in either radial direction (this occurred after approx. 5 minutes in the tank, near the centre post, with FTRF jig installed). The trolley was retrieved from the tank manually for investigation. Upon retrieval and testing on the mockup, the radial drive began to work again.

Investigation consisted of:

• Verifying controls signals reaching motor controller
• Verifying power to motor
• Verifying all connectors and cables intact
• Verifying drive components installed and free of damage (shafts, keys, set screws, etc.)
• Disassembly and inspection of gearbox
• Running the motor for approximately 3 hours with no load to verify no issues

The cause of the issue cannot be found, however it is suspected a thermal shutdown of the motor or motor controller may have occurred, and after a short delay, the circuit was reset back to a functioning state on its own.

In the future prior to using this trolley it is recommended to test run it, with load, in the mockup to verify radial drive functionality.

The two support fingers on the upper resonator trolley were bent due to excessive loading during cylinder toggling.

Fingers were bent back into position such that they are vertical when the cylinder is retracted.

The cylinders used to actuate these fingers were replaced (one was leaking) - replacement allowed for the opportunity for upgrade. The following changes were made:

• Changing reverse spring-return cylinders to double-acting cylinders (formerly American Cylinder 750RVS-2.00, replaced with SMC NCDMB075-0200C)
• Addition of in-line flow controls for both extension and retraction motions
• Tuning of flow control to achieve smooth operation and prevent further damage to the fingers during actuation

 The new finger configuration has been tested and is working.

Today Remote Handling staff (Maico Dalla Valle, Travis Cave) used the Remote Handling 2C probe removal trolley to remove the probe assembly from inside the Cyclotron.  This is a regular yearly MRO task that is done every shutdown.

This task involves lining up the 2C trolley on the service bridge with the 2C probe assembly remotely with cameras, using a set of alignment markings on the trolley and probe assembly.  Once the trolley is lined up with the probe assembly, a set of solenoids are fired to disengage a corresponding set of four QDLs (quick disconnect latches) at different locations on the probe assembly.  A complete procedure is documented by Remote Handling staff.

The four QDLs are actuated by a set of four solenoid actuators on the 2C removal trolley, numbered 3, 4, 5, and 8.

Traditionally in the past, the QDL actuated by solenoid 8 has  jammed and does not automatically disengage when hit with the solenoid actuator.  A member of Probes or Remote Handling has had to suit up with a respirator, run into the Cyclotron tank, and tap this QDL by hand to free it from it's jammed state.  This has been done every year for quite some time, as long as Don Jackson can remember (around 30 years)!

However, today, Remote Handling staff (Travis and Maico) were able to disengage all four QDLs remotely using the solenoid actuators on the trolley!

A few things were done differently this year compared to previous years, which may have contributed to this success:

a.  The centre post bearing on the service bridge was disassembled, cleaned, and lubricated (see previous e-log from this shutdown)

b.  The "AXIAL A" alignment tab on the 2C removal trolley was intentionally misaligned with the felt pen markings on the 2C assembly (see attached picture that points out this "gap").

c.   The solenoids were fired in the following order: 8 (no success on disengagement), 5 (success), 4 (success), 3 (success), then 8 again (success).

After all four QDLs were disengaged, and the probe assembly was lowered away from its fixture points, it was observed that the assembly moved slightly laterally, indicating a slight stress or misalignment between all four QDL pins and their corresponding receptacles in the Cyclotron tank. The "gap" labelled in the attached picture, shrunk a small amount after this lateral movement.

Don Jackson remarked that in his entire tenure here, he had never witnessed successful remote disengagement of all four QDLs!  This is quite a positive result, as it lowers the expected dose and time required to remove the 2C probe assembly.  This approach to the task should be repeated next year and video documented (unfortunately we were not video recording the successful attempt this year).

Cheers,

Grant Minor, Remote Handling

All control to the video trolley was lost during remote photographing of components in the cyclotron. The control system and cameras on the trolley were still operational leading to the suspicion that a power cable was broken either on the trolley or the bridge festooning. Two trips into the tank were made to evaluate the problem and attempt to push the trolley out of the tank. Pushing the trolley only managed to move the trolley a few feet before jamming. A lift mechanism was used to raise the drive wheel without any success. This device was modified and used successfully to remove trolley completely from the tank.

Serviced the Camera trolley this morning as per Mike Gallops service outline.

Maintenance has been performed on the lift trolley, re sealed the main drive gear box it was quite dry inside and in need of new seals and lubrication. Inspected the vertical gear box and resealed it, re tensioned  the vertical drive chain after removing gear box and finding since last year the chain had become somewhat slack causing it to rub on the frame. Purchased a new LED light bar to replace the aging and failing flourescent light that was in place. greased all pillow block bearings and replaced old Zerk ( grease nipple) on some bearings to allow for easier lubrication.

Lower resonator trolley radial motor overcurrent was causing control system to drop out momentarily.  All controlled devices acted as expected and reverted to their fail-safe mode.  When system restarted 1-2 seconds later, all solenoids returned to their previous positions.

The cause was eventually traced to an unusual operation of the trolley.  In an attempt to limit trolley motion the drive switch on the control panel was repeatedly “tapped” in a rapid fashion.  This did not allow the motor to slow down enough to allow the starter winding to kick in which allowed large in-rush current.  The current was enough to load down the entire system including the power supply for the trolley controls, which caused the controls drop-out.

Later the same effect was observed to a lesser extent on the upper resonator trolley which used identical motors and controls.

Proposed solution is to either to limit large inrush current or preferably to replace the existing motor with a DC motor and controller.  A DC motor has the added benefit of now allowing true speed control.

No attempt is being made to modify the system until after the shutdown.  All trolley operators are being instructed to not use this method to attempt to control positioning of the trolley.  It is unlikely that it would help in positioning even if the system could handle the current overload.

We had just finished pulling out the ladders from the cyclotron with the lift trolley. We started to run the lift trolley into the cyclotron when it stopped moving. The radial drive gearbox was the problem. We pulled the gearbox off. Replaced  the key and the lift trolley is all repaired.

Tool Trolley:

The connector faceplate was replaced with a new version to allow for more space for service, and consolidate video lines into a single 9-pin CPC connector. A model and drawing were created and are part of the overall tool trolley assembly (to be added to PDM later): TRH1394

Air tubing that previously ran to the connector faceplate on the tool trolley was replaced as it was very old. New tubing is in 3 different colours for easy identification: blue, black, green.

Fittings were replaced with more modern push-connect style (1/4" tube).

Upper and lower resonator trolleys received mounting plates and brackets to accommodate DC motor controls for updated drive motors.

An issue was observed in which radial motion on the Video Trolley Mk 1 did not respond to commands. After troubleshooting, it was determined that this was due to the "OP LIMIT" interlock - the "OP LIMIT" pushbutton on the console was illuminated in red, and needed to be continuously held down in order to operate the radial in/out motion buttons.

It was determined that the root cause of the issue was a failed radial limit switch which was likely damaged during trolley transport. The limit switch was replaced, and functionality was restored.

All of the old brass air fittings on the Tool Trolley have now been swapped over to push-connect style fittings. As these are plastic fittings, it is recommended to inspect them after ~5 years for degradation.

The "old" video trolley featuring scissor mechanism and DSLR camera has officially been decommissioned. Going forward, Video Trolley Mk 2 (TRH1089D) will be used.

The two camera tilt mechanisms on the lift trolley have been upgraded. Upgrades include:

For the individual camera:

• Replaced cylinder
• Replaced fittings for cylinder
• Replaced air tubing from flow control to cylinder
• Visual inspection and fasteners tightened

For the overall platform containing the camera and lighting:

• Replaced cylinder
• Replaced fittings for cylinder
• Replaced valve (5/3 centre closed style)
• Replaced air regulator and set pressure (note: at the time of writing this e-log, it still needs to be fastened in place via its mounting bracket)
• Replaced air tubing
• Visual inspection and fasteners tightened

The mirror actuation mechanism was observed to be "sticky" during 2023 winter shutdown - it occasionally did not function properly and needed some manual assistance. 

The following items were addressed to resolve the issue: 

• Replacement of the Tyne Myte double acting valve which controls the cylinder (based on troubleshooting tests, it seemed this valve was not functional or intermittently functional)
• Addition of a silencer and in-line flow control on the exhaust of the aforementioned valve - adjusted to allow for smooth operation of the mirror when toggled
• Cleaning of the cylinder's shaft (it had a sticky residue build-up and was notably high friction) - this cylinder should likely be replaced in the near future 
• Replacement of air tubing along the supply line to the valve, and between the valve and cylinder
• Replacement of all fittings (push-connect style) on the valve and cylinders

The mirror actuation was tested after these changes and is behaving normally.

No further repairs required, although it is suggested to change the remainder of the tubing and fittings for the other valves which control different functions on this trolley, and to eventually upgrade the valves themselves to a low profile valve bank.