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Description
The superconducting heavy-ion linac (iLinac) of the High Intensity heavy-ion Accelerator Facility (HIAF) in Huizhou, China entered trial operation in 2026. It comprises a room-temperature front end, 81.25 MHz QWR and 162.5 MHz HWR sections, and has accelerated ions covering a wide range of charge-to-mass ratio, from 209Bi31+ (Q/A = 0.148, 17.07 MeV/u, 90 eμA) to 18O6+ (Q/A = 0.333, 32.00 MeV/u, 135 eμA); the RFQ and the superconducting cavities have reached their full ratings.
In 2026 the iLinac delivered 209Bi31+, 40Ar12+, 86Kr25+, 16O6+ and 136Xe24+ beams, with availabilities all above 90% and 99.4% during the 209Bi31+ acceptance test. This paper analyses the main downtime contributors, and reports the measures adopted: automated RFQ cavity conditioning and AI-based orbit correction, which shortened tuning time and improved repeatability, and a beam-information-based alarm platform that shifts fault handling from reactive response towards early diagnosis and risk prediction. Experience relevant to the reliability of high-power superconducting heavy-ion linacs is summarized.