Options to upgrade the triggering system of the SPS beam dumping system at CERN

In order to prevent uncontrolled beam losses in the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at CERN, which can cause thermal and radiation damages to machine components, an internal beam dumping system is used. Upgraded layout will consists of three fast pulsed magnets which deflect the circulating beam vertically and three that sweep it in horizontal axis onto an absorber block within one accelerator revolution. The excitation current for each magnet is generated by the discharge of a Pulse Forming Network (PFN) through the magnet into a matched terminating resistor. As triggering circuits are one of the most critical components that will determine the global performance of a pulsed power system, a matched triggering system with the stacks of FHCT (Fast High Current Thyristors) has been developed with the objectives to improve the switching performance. The baseline triggering solution will be discussed in this paper with few alternative solutions that have been evaluated during prototyping such as pulse compression or the use of a laser activated thyristor. Power switches identified for this application are briefly described and compared in terms of performance. The limiting factors of the different switching techniques are highlighted in this comparative review.