Accelerator Update

Friday October 3 through Monday October 6
All shifts began in shutdown.

On Friday, water technicians at CUB turned on the 55-LCW system. Linac experts began running four water skids.

On Saturday, a planned power outage for feeder 43 maintenance began at 7 AM.

On Monday morning, operators discovered a small leak on a Linac water skid being feed by the 55-LCW system.

TEVATRON
Last week the water group began cleaning the Tevatron (TeV) heat exchangers. They found a problem; mussels have taken over.

Below is a picture of a fresh water mussel feeding. (Actually, this particular Alabama mussel is on an endangered species list. Unfortunately, our mussels, which aren't endangered, have found the TeV heat exchangers a perfect environment to live and multiply.

Mussel facts: A mussel has a muscular foot, which it uses to both move about and to eat with. The mussel's gills line opposite sides of the foot. Hairs line the gills and flail the water forcing it through the body. The gill filters the water for both food and oxygen.

Mud is bad enough, but the following pictures of an opened heat exchanger show just how much of a problem the mussels have become.

This heat exchanger was cleaned out about three years ago.

Accelerator Update Archive

More Information
For Tevatron luminosity charts and the current status of Fermilab's accelerators and detectors (live!), please go to Fermilab Now

Comments and Suggestions
What do you think about the Accelerator Updates? Please send comments and suggestions to: accelupdates@fnal.gov.