Abstract
The Spallation Neutron Source Linac utilizes normal conducting RF cavities in the low energy section from 2.5 MeV to 186 MeV. Six Drift Tube Linac (DTL) structures accelerate the beam to 87 MeV, and four Coupled Cavity Linac (CCL) structures provide further acceleration to 186 MeV. The remainder of the Linac is comprised of 81 superconducting cavities packaged in 23 cryomodules to provide final beam energy of approximately 1 GeV. The superconducting Linac has proven to be substantially more reliable than the normal conducting Linac despite the greater number of stations and the complexity associated with the cryogenic plant and distribution. A conceptual design has been initiated on a replacement of the DTL and CCL with superconducting RF cavities. The motivation, constraints, and conceptual design are presented.
