Speaker
Description
Approaching 30 years of SINQ operation, the facility systems still contain many of the original components. These include three primary heavy water (D$_{\mathrm{2}}$O) loops and a light water cooling system. A total of 9.5 m³ of heavy water and 2.5 m³ of light water are circulated at mass flow rates of up to 15 kg/s to dissipate heat loads of up to 1 MW.
The circuits must be maintained to always ensure the safety and continuity of operations. However, replacing components before they break using a predictive maintenance strategy would expose personnel to preventable radiation doses without offering any significant operational or safety benefits. Therefore, the planned maintenance work focuses on safety valves and sensor calibration, while defects of other components are dealt with individually.
This poster provides an overview of the SINQ cooling circuits, as well as offering a glimpse into the maintenance work carried out on our valves, filters and sensors in recent years. Special attention is paid to the periodic replacement of the deuterated Ion Exchange Columns. Finally,some of the current challenges and improvement plans are highlighted.