Shipping and alignment for the SNS cryomodule

The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) requires 32 superconducting cryomodules to raise the beam energy of the accelerator to 1.3 GeV. Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) has been contracted to build and deliver these cryomodules. The SNS cryomodules are being assembled and tested at Jefferson Lab in Newport News, Virginia, and installed at the SNS facility in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The cryomodules will be transported via a flatbed air ride trailer over the approximate 500-mile distance. This paper describes the alignment of the cavities and how it is preserved during the shipping and operation of the cryomodule. It includes a description of the support scheme developed to preserve the alignment during shipping and operation, and how the support scheme forms a very rigid structure with natural frequencies well above the expected 10 Hz driving frequencies during transportation. The entire cryomodule is supported by a dampened cradle, which is mounted directly onto the bed of the trailer. The transportation environment was evaluated by instrumenting a similar (CEBAF 1/4) cryomodule with accelerometers during a road test of approximately 300 miles. A modal analysis of the whole system is in progress. Steps taken to minimize any transport-induced loading/deflections are discussed.