Speaker
Description
The Target Station 1 (TS1) water cooling system at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source manages four activated water circuits: Target (D2O), Reflector, Water Moderator, and Secondary demineralised water. There are sixteen operational scenarios across these circuits for draining, refilling, gas blowdown, and venting. Historically, executing these required complex manual sequencing of dozens of valves with continuous parameter checks. This created a high-risk environment heavily dependent on a few specialist staff, where operational missteps could compromise target cooling and delay shutdowns.
To eliminate this expert dependency and improve facility reliability, all sixteen manual scenarios were codified into single-button HMI routines. The upgraded software embeds process safeguards that verify valve alignments to prevent improper fluid routing and cross-contamination, and continuously monitor pressure and level to protect pumps against dry running. This allows non-specialist personnel to safely manage complex activated water handling with fault diagnostics on the HMI. Crucially, precise sequence control enables the recovery and reuse of up to 1800 litres of water, significantly reducing STFC’s radioactive waste.