Status of Engineering Development of Ccdtl for Accelerator Production of Tritium*

The Coupled-Cavity Drift Tube Linac (CCDTL) is a relatively new RF accelerator structure which plays a major role in the APT Low-Energy Linac (LEL) design. Engineering development is pushing ahead on several fronts, including thermal management, fabrication procedures, cavity and coupling slot tuning, high-power prototype fabrication and testing, supports and alignment, vacuum, and provisions for beam diagnostics. Fabrication of the CCDTL Low-Beta Hot Model is nearly complete, and high-power RF tests will commence soon. In 1999, we will begin the fabrication of 11 meters of CCDTL to be added to the Low-Energy Demonstration Accelerator. In 2001, it will take the 100 mA beam from 6.7 MeV to 10.05 MeV, producing the world’s most powerful proton beam. We are also starting the design of a CCDTL 96 MeV Hot Model to demonstrate cooling of an intermediate-beta version of the structure. The 14 cmlong, 9 cm diameter 96 MeV drift tube dissipates roughly 5 kW. This all leads to the final mechanical design of the 113 m long CCDTL for the APT plant linac.