Comprehensive design and key technologies validation of CiADS control system

Purpose The China initiative Accelerator Driven System (CiADS) consists of a superconducting proton linac system, a spallation target system and a sub-critical reactor system. In recent several decades, many control technologies have been developed for each of these individual systems—accelerators, targets and reactors. These valuable technologies can be used in the control system for the CiADS facility; however, practical applications still require addressing challenges related to operational logic and communication interfaces. Furthermore, in order to effectively couple and integrate the different systems of accelerator, target and reactor into a complete facility, it is essential to explore and develop new methods and technologies.
Methods The proposed control architecture has been formulated with consideration for both the specific demands and characteristics of the CiADS and the principles of universal control system architectures. Then, the core issues related to system coupling are identified, followed by the design of logical functions, testing of communication interfaces, and verification of system integration. The key verification has been conducted on the prototype of the CiADS control system, focusing on the communication and hardware integration between the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS) and the Distributed Control System (DCS) of reactor, as well as the reactor power control function. After the design and development of the beam power stability strategy, it was experimentally verified on the China Accelerator Facility for superheavy Elements (CAFE2).
Results and conclusion The prototype of the control system for CiADS has been established, successfully validating the interaction and communication capabilities between DCS and EPICS. Based on the proposed architecture, the implementation of the CiADS control system has been building step-by-step. To ensure the autonomy of each system’s operation, the structures and functions of the accelerator, the target and the reactor have been designed in isolation, implementing both physical and logical separations. Finally, several key control technologies for integrating the accelerators, the target and the reactor into the complete facility are developed and validated.