WP3 is responsible for the design, engineering, procurement and installation of all the Beam Intercepting Devices (BIDs) needed for the Beam Dump Facility.

The scope includes not only the BDF target (dump) but also the required BIDs in the primary transfer line downstream of the existing North Area target complex (TCC2), including the P4 dump and any additional devices required such as collimators and absorbers.

The BDF Target

To efficiently produce feebly interacting particles, SHiP requires a high-Z production target acting as a beam dump to safely absorb 400 GeV/c protons delivered by the SPS. The denser the better, and therefore a core of multiple pure tungsten blocks will be engineered to cope with the challenging 2.3 MW beam power during 1 second proton spills. A 718 Inconel vessel will safely contain the almost 4 tons of refractory material operating at 400 °C. High purity and controlled helium at 16 bars will be used to cooldown the core and evacuate almost 310 kW of average thermal power.

Material R&D

The lifespan and performance of the target is directly linked to the soundness of the core. It’s for that reason that an extensive characterisation campaign is ongoing in view of achieving the best mechanical properties for the tungsten via a finely tuned manufacturing process. Moreover, the relatively large dimensions required for the core, impose the quest for the ideal tungsten-to-tungsten material bonding technology to ensure the most compact yet thermally efficient design. Beam tests in the North Area are also foreseen to fully validate the design and engineering before the production of the final device.

The WPL is charged with the coordination of the engineering design and R&D effort as part of the Technical Design phase and to ensure, in collaboration with the HI-ECN3 project office, the delivery of the Technical Design Report and related Work Package descriptions to converge on an updated scope, with cost and resource estimates, and project schedule.