The Target vessel connection ring was delivered from ESS Bilbao to ESS in Lund. The 4-tonnes piece was lifted to the high bay where quality checks were performed. The next step will be to do a trial installation inside the Target Monolith, one of our mains In Kind contributions.

The Ring of Connections, one of the upper sections of the Containment Vessel (Monolith Vessel) that keeps the entire Target System inside, has arrived today at its destination, the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden, after a long journey by boat and by road in special transport. Cadinox and AVS, strategic partners of ESS Bilbao, have carried out the execution of the manufacture of this key component for the operation of Target, in permanent coordination with the technical team of ESS Bilbao that has developed all the design and has supervised the manufacture under the standards of nuclear regulations, together with the help of Bureau Veritas and LLoyds register.

The connection ring is used to place the more than 100 penetrations through which the necessary services for the operation of the target equipment will be supplied (water supply, electricity, instrumentation…). Each of these penetrations (Nozzle) has been welded to a central cylindrical body 700 mm high, more than 6 meters in diameter and weighing 6 tons. To limit the deformations of the equipment during the welding process, it has been necessary to develop an unconventional configuration of welds and edge preparations combining the TIG and Submerged Arc processes to simultaneously meet the requirements of vacuum operation and nuclear safety.

Both the Target System and the Monolith Vessel are in-kind contributions from ESS Bilbao to the European Spallation Source. The Target System, made up of the wheel, the axle and the motor unit, is one of the most important contributions in kind in Spain. This system, known as the “heart” of the installation, has been in Sweden for several months. The target wheel is where the protons coming from the accelerator will impact and where the neutrons that will be used in scientific experiments will be generated. This critical component is in the testing and integration phase at the European Source facilities.

The Monolith Vessel was the first major component delivered in Sweden more than two years ago. This enormous steel vessel, 6 m in diameter and more than 6m high, is responsible for containing all the elements of the Target system, such as the rotating wheel, the moderator and reflector, the proton beam instrumentation and everything inside. internal radiation protection shielding. Soldered to the upper part of the Monolith Vessel, the Connection Ring will be placed, which will allow the passage of all the services and pipes necessary for the operation of the target.

Pic. courtesy  of ESS