Speaker
Description
The Proton Power Upgrade (PPU) project at Oak Ridge National Lab’s Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) increased the accelerator capability from 1.4 to 2.8 MW through an 30% increase in energy to 1.3 GeV, and a 50% increase in charge per pulse. A new target design was also produced that allows the first target station to reach a maximum 2.0 MW. An additional 700 kW is reserved for the future second target station (STS). Over the course of the PPU project, the power of the SNS was slowly ramped beyond 1.4 MW, as allowed by the state of upgrades. Following a long outage in the summer of 2024 during which the remaining major equipment upgrades were completed the power has been slowly ramped each run. This power ramp-up will culminate in 2.0 MW on target in the spring of 2026, where SNS will operate until the STS is online. This talk will discuss operational experience with the accelerator since coming back online in 2024, and the plan for eventual 2.8 MW operation.