Speaker
Ilias Efthymiopoulos
Description
The successful repair of the facility in 2008, allowed a smooth running with beam throughout the year, collecting in total 1.78E19 protons on target. Record duty cycle operation and daily integrated intensities were achieved towards the end of the 2008 run, after the stop of LHC and FT beams. The gained experience in operating the facility is vital for the understanding of the behavior of all installed systems. A system identified for improvement is the cooling circuit of horn and reflector. During the 2008 run, it was discovered that the lifetime of the installed filters, placed to capture the produced charged ions due to radiation and maintain the water conductivity at low values, is much shorter than originally expected. Work is going on during this shutdown to understand the origin of the problem and study possible solutions to minimize the impact on beam operations. The status of the work and prospects for the 2009 operation will be presented here along with a general review of the shutdown activities for the facility and readiness for the startup in May 2009.