Speaker
Description
Verification and validation of individual subsystems are essential to demonstrate that they meet their design requirements and perform as intended. Particle accelerators, however, comprise multiple interconnected systems that must operate reliably together. Component acceptance and integrated testing therefore play complementary roles in establishing reliable operation, with some problems only becoming apparent during hardware commissioning.
This talk will draw on experience from the commissioning phases of the European Spallation Source (ESS) linac, describing selected problems, their investigation, and the lessons learned for acceptance testing, system integration, and maintenance. It will discuss how this experience is informing preparations for routine operation, including the development of a machine checkout tool to structure equipment checks, collect results, and identify outstanding readiness issues.
As ESS moves towards routine operation, incorporating these lessons into repeatable checks, testing capabilities, and maintenance practices will help establish a culture of continuous reliability improvement. These preparations will support the long-term goal of achieving and sustaining operational availability above 95%.