Final upgraded APS storage ring modules installed

The upgrade of the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science user facility, reached a major milestone in December 2023. The final modules of the newly upgraded electron storage ring at the heart of the APS have now been installed, a significant step toward the completion of the removal and installation phase of the project that began in April 2023.

The new storage ring consists of 200 magnet modules arranged in various configurations. Each module was assembled to exacting specifications and then carefully transported from an offsite warehouse facility to the APS for installation. Before the final doublet L-bend multiplet (DLM) module was moved and installed, about 100 members of the APS Upgrade team signed it, carrying on a tradition from the construction of the original APS nearly three decades ago. 

The next step of the process, already in progress, is to test each of the systems on every magnet module and ensure they work (and work together). We will then conduct an accelerator readiness review that will authorize us to begin commissioning the new machine and prepare for operations. 

A man signs a large red magnet in black ink.
About 100 members of the APS Upgrade team gathered to recognize the project’s milestone and sign the final DLM magnet module on December 12, 2023, before its installation in the APS storage ring tunnel. Photo by Mark Lopez, Argonne National Laboratory.

More than 100 people pose with a magnet in an empty storage space.
Members of the APS Upgrade team pose with the final DLM module to be installed in the APS storage ring tunnel. The new storage ring is made up of 200 modules. Photo by Mark Lopez, Argonne National Laboratory.

Workers load a large module of magnets onto a truck.
Workers move the final DLM magnet module to be installed for the new APS storage ring onto a truck before transporting it to the facility on December 13, 2023. Photo by Seth Hammond, Argonne National Laboratory.

A worker in a forklift truck helps another to move a heavy module of magnets through a door.
The final DLM magnet module is loaded off of the truck and into the APS storage ring facility prior to installation on December 13, 2023. Photo by Seth Hammond, Argonne National Laboratory.

A worker aligns a large module of magnets into place in the APS storage ring tunnel.
Workers place the last DLM magnet into position as part of the new APS electron storage ring. Photo by Seth Hammond, Argonne National Laboratory.

Workers complete the alignment of a large module of magnets in the APS storage ring tunnel.
The final DLM module is moved into place inside the APS storage ring tunnel on December 13, 2023. Photo by Seth Hammond, Argonne National Laboratory.

A long row of fully assembled magnets in the APS storage ring tunnel.
A photo of the fully installed storage ring for the upgraded APS. Photo by Mark Lopez, Argonne National Laboratory.

Published Date