The original shielding configuration will replace the wiggler, at least temporarily. Removal of this shielding had previously been shown to create a line source which was above the 7 foot shield wall. CAMD is unique in that the synchrotron ring does not have a shielding roof. In part, this is possible because the injection is low energy (200 MeV) and secondly, injection is normally completed within one minute. This is an exceptional time for a machine of this type.
We are currently building three new beamlines - a toroidal grating monochromator (6M in length), a variable line spacing spectrometer (both will operate in the UV range - which is good news for radiation safety) and a normal incidence monochromator which poses some interesting shielding challenges in that the end chamber sits above the shield wall and the beamline actually bends back towards the current shield wall.
The accelerator physics group is working on an RF upgrade (potentially more health physics problems) as well as many changes in machine operation. However, at least for the moment, the duty cycle of the linac remains unchanged. The Linac output accounts for > 90% of all the radiation produced in the facility.
Here is an interesting loophole in which we recently found ourselves. As a university facility, we are forced to use the university's maintenance staff. Naturally, everyone who works out at CAMD is trained and badged. Last Monday, it was learned that maintenance sent two persons (of about a ten person group) to the facility. Both had been trained in radiation safety, but one of these individuals' training had expired and neither was currently badged because they had been removed from the list of approved persons. During the original training, it was clearly explained and understood by supervisors in the presence of human resources personnel that no one could be sent to CAMD without a badge (or obviously proper training). Somehow they disregarded this rule and substituted staff without telling anyone. These people were let into the experimental hall (requires computer coded access card by their supervisors). Sometimes training doesn't appear to be enough and reprimands are not looked upon with favor in the university environment.
Funding problems mean that I will not likely have the opportunity to meet with other health physics colleagues in July. We are also under a new administrative staff which always makes things interesting !
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