ICALEPCS2023 - Table of Session: WE2BC (General

Paper	Title	Page
WE2BCO02	In the Midst of Fusion Ignition: A Look at the State of the National Ignition Facility Control and Information Systems	973
	M. Fedorov, A.I. Barnes, L. Beaulac, A.D. Casey, J.R. Castro Morales, J. Dixon, C.M. Estes, M.S. Flegel, V.K. Gopalan, S. Heerey, R. Lacuata, V.J. Miller Kamm, B.P. Patel, M. Paul, N.I. Spafford, J.L. Vaher LLNL, Livermore, California, USA
	Funding: This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the world’s largest and most energetic 192-laser-beam system which conducts experiments in High Energy Density (HED) physics and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). In December 2022, the NIF achieved a scientific breakthrough when, for the first time ever, the ICF ignition occurred under laboratory conditions. The key to the NIF’s experimental prowess and versatility is not only its power but also its precise control. The NIF controls and data systems place the experimenter in full command of the laser and target diagnostics capabilities. The recently upgraded Master Oscillator Room (MOR) system precisely shapes NIF laser pulses in the temporal, spatial, and spectral domains. Apart from the primary 10-meter spherical target chamber, the NIF laser beams can now be directed towards two more experimental stations to study laser interactions with optics and large full beam targets. The NIF’s wide range of target diagnostics continues to expand with new tools to probe and capture complex plasma phenomena using x-rays, gamma-rays, neutrons, and accelerated protons. While the increasing neutron yields mark the NIF’s steady progress towards exciting experimental regimes, they also require new mitigations for radiation damage in control and diagnostic electronics. With many NIF components approaching 20 years of age, a Sustainment Plan is now underway to modernize NIF, including controls and information systems, to assure NIF operations through 2040. LLNL Release Number: LLNL-ABS-847574
	Slides WE2BCO02 [4.213 MB]
DOI •	reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO02
About •	Received ※ 02 October 2023 — Revised ※ 09 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 14 December 2023 — Issued ※ 14 December 2023
Cite •	reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO03	Ongoing Improvements to the Instrumentation and Control System at LANSCE	979
	M. Pieck, C.D. Hatch, H.A. Watkins, E.E. Westbrook LANL, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA
	Funding: This work was supported by the U.S. DOE through the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). LANL is operated by Triad National Security, LLC, for the NNSA of U.S. DOE - Contract No. 89233218CNA000001 Recent upgrades to the Instrumentation and Control System at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) have significantly improved its maintainability and performance. These changes were the first strategic steps towards a larger vision to standardize the hardware form factors and software methodologies. Upgrade efforts are being prioritized though a risk-based approach and funded at various levels. With a major recapitalization project finished in 2022 and modernization project scheduled to start possibly in 2025, current efforts focus on the continuation of upgrade efforts that started in the former and will be finished in the later time frame. Planning and executing these upgrades are challenging considering that some of the changes are architectural in nature, however, the functionality needs to be preserved while taking advantage of technology progressions. This is compounded by the fact that those upgrades can only be implemented during the annual 4-month outage. This paper will provide an overview of our vision, strategy, challenges, recent accomplishments, as well as future planned activities to transform our 50-year-old control system into a modern state-of-the-art design. LA-UR-23-24389
	Slides WE2BCO03 [9.626 MB]
DOI •	reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO03
About •	Received ※ 30 September 2023 — Revised ※ 09 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 19 November 2023 — Issued ※ 03 December 2023
Cite •	reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO04	Maintaining a Hybrid Control System at ISIS with a Vsystem/EPICS Bridge	986
	K.R.L. Baker, I.D. Finch, M. Romanovschi STFC/RAL/ISIS, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, United Kingdom
	The migration of the controls system for the ISIS accelerator from Vsystem to EPICS presents a significant challenge and risk to day-to-day operations. To minimise this impact throughout the transition, a software bridge between the two control systems has been developed that allows the phased porting of HMIs and hardware. The hybrid Vsystem and EPICS system also allows the continued use of existing feedback control applications that now require interaction between both control systems, for example the halo steering operation in Target Station 1. This work describes the implementation of this bridge, referred to as PVEcho, for the mapping of Vsystem channels to EPICS PVs and vice versa. The position within the wider ISIS controls software stack is outlined as well as how it utilises Python libraries for EPICS. Finally, we will discuss the software development practices applied that have allowed the bridge to run reliably for months at a time.
	Slides WE2BCO04 [2.757 MB]
DOI •	reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO04
About •	Received ※ 05 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 08 December 2023 — Issued ※ 11 December 2023
Cite •	reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO05	Continuous Modernization of Control Systems for Research Facilities	993
	K. Vodopivec, K.S. Whitepresenter ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA
	Funding: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC0500OR22725. The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been in operation since 2006. In order to achieve high operating reliability and availability as mandated by the sponsor, all systems participating in the production of neutrons need to be maintained to the highest achievable standard. This includes SNS integrated control system, comprising of specialized hardware and software, as well as computing and networking infrastructure. While machine upgrades are extending the control system with new and modern components, the established part of control system requires continuous modernization efforts due to hardware obsolescence, limited lifetime of electronic components, and software updates that can break backwards compatibility. This article discusses challenges of sustaining control system operations through decades of facility lifecycle, and presents a methodology used at SNS for continuous control system improvements that was developed by analyzing operational data and experience.
	Slides WE2BCO05 [1.484 MB]
DOI •	reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO05
About •	Received ※ 05 October 2023 — Revised ※ 12 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 08 December 2023 — Issued ※ 12 December 2023
Cite •	reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO06	EPICS Deployment at Fermilab	997
	P.M. Hanlet, J.S. Diamond, M. Gonzalez, K.S. Martin Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois, USA
	Fermilab has traditionally not been an EPICS house, as such expertise in EPICS is limited and scattered. However, PIP-II will be using EPICS for its control system. Furthermore, when PIP-II is operating, it must to interface with the existing, though modernized (see ACORN) legacy control system. We have developed and deployed a software pipeline that addresses these needs and presents to developers a tested and robust software framework, including template IOCs from which new developers can quickly gain experience. In this presentation, we will discuss the motivation for this work, the implementation of a continuous integration/continuous deployment pipeline, testing, template IOCs, and the deployment of user applications. We will also discuss how this is used with the current PIP-II teststand and lessons learned.
	Slides WE2BCO06 [2.860 MB]
DOI •	reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO06
About •	Received ※ 06 October 2023 — Revised ※ 23 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 11 December 2023 — Issued ※ 17 December 2023
Cite •	reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO07	15 Years of ALICE DCS	1002
	P.Ch. Chochula, A. Augustinus, P.M. Bond, A.N. Kurepin, M. Lechman, D. Voscek CERN, Meyrin, Switzerland O. Pinazza INFN-Bologna, Bologna, Italy
	The ALICE experiment studies ultra relativistic heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Its Detector Control System (DCS) has been ensuring the experiment safety and stability of data collection since 2008. A small central team at CERN coordinated the developments with collaborating institutes and defined the operational principles and tools. Although the basic architecture of the system remains valid, it has had to adapt to the changes and evolution of its components. The introduction of new detectors into ALICE has required the redesign of several parts of the system, especially the front-end electronics control, which triggered new developments. Now, the DCS enters the domain of data acquisition, and the controls data is interleaved with the physics data stream, sharing the same optical links. The processing of conditions data has moved from batch collection at the end of data-taking to constant streaming. The growing complexity of the system has led to a big focus on the operator environment, with efforts to minimize the risk of human errors. This presentation describes the evolution of the ALICE control system over the past 15 years and highlights the significant improvements made to its architecture. We discuss how the challenges of integrating components developed in tens of institutes worldwide have been mastered in ALICE. This proposed contribution is complemented by poster submitted by Ombretta Pinazza who will explain the user interfaces deployed in ALICE.
DOI •	reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO07
About •	Received ※ 06 October 2023 — Revised ※ 11 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 14 December 2023 — Issued ※ 21 December 2023
Cite •	reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

Paper

Title

Page

In the Midst of Fusion Ignition: A Look at the State of the National Ignition Facility Control and Information Systems

973

M. Fedorov, A.I. Barnes, L. Beaulac, A.D. Casey, J.R. Castro Morales, J. Dixon, C.M. Estes, M.S. Flegel, V.K. Gopalan, S. Heerey, R. Lacuata, V.J. Miller Kamm, B.P. Patel, M. Paul, N.I. Spafford, J.L. Vaher
LLNL, Livermore, California, USA

Funding: This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344
The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the world’s largest and most energetic 192-laser-beam system which conducts experiments in High Energy Density (HED) physics and Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). In December 2022, the NIF achieved a scientific breakthrough when, for the first time ever, the ICF ignition occurred under laboratory conditions. The key to the NIF’s experimental prowess and versatility is not only its power but also its precise control. The NIF controls and data systems place the experimenter in full command of the laser and target diagnostics capabilities. The recently upgraded Master Oscillator Room (MOR) system precisely shapes NIF laser pulses in the temporal, spatial, and spectral domains. Apart from the primary 10-meter spherical target chamber, the NIF laser beams can now be directed towards two more experimental stations to study laser interactions with optics and large full beam targets. The NIF’s wide range of target diagnostics continues to expand with new tools to probe and capture complex plasma phenomena using x-rays, gamma-rays, neutrons, and accelerated protons. While the increasing neutron yields mark the NIF’s steady progress towards exciting experimental regimes, they also require new mitigations for radiation damage in control and diagnostic electronics. With many NIF components approaching 20 years of age, a Sustainment Plan is now underway to modernize NIF, including controls and information systems, to assure NIF operations through 2040.
LLNL Release Number: LLNL-ABS-847574

Slides WE2BCO02 [4.213 MB]

DOI •

reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO02

About •

Received ※ 02 October 2023 — Revised ※ 09 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 14 December 2023 — Issued ※ 14 December 2023

Cite •

reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO03

Ongoing Improvements to the Instrumentation and Control System at LANSCE

979

M. Pieck, C.D. Hatch, H.A. Watkins, E.E. Westbrook
LANL, Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA

Funding: This work was supported by the U.S. DOE through the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). LANL is operated by Triad National Security, LLC, for the NNSA of U.S. DOE - Contract No. 89233218CNA000001
Recent upgrades to the Instrumentation and Control System at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) have significantly improved its maintainability and performance. These changes were the first strategic steps towards a larger vision to standardize the hardware form factors and software methodologies. Upgrade efforts are being prioritized though a risk-based approach and funded at various levels. With a major recapitalization project finished in 2022 and modernization project scheduled to start possibly in 2025, current efforts focus on the continuation of upgrade efforts that started in the former and will be finished in the later time frame. Planning and executing these upgrades are challenging considering that some of the changes are architectural in nature, however, the functionality needs to be preserved while taking advantage of technology progressions. This is compounded by the fact that those upgrades can only be implemented during the annual 4-month outage. This paper will provide an overview of our vision, strategy, challenges, recent accomplishments, as well as future planned activities to transform our 50-year-old control system into a modern state-of-the-art design.
LA-UR-23-24389

Slides WE2BCO03 [9.626 MB]

DOI •

reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO03

About •

Received ※ 30 September 2023 — Revised ※ 09 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 19 November 2023 — Issued ※ 03 December 2023

Cite •

reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO04

Maintaining a Hybrid Control System at ISIS with a Vsystem/EPICS Bridge

986

K.R.L. Baker, I.D. Finch, M. Romanovschi
STFC/RAL/ISIS, Chilton, Didcot, Oxon, United Kingdom

The migration of the controls system for the ISIS accelerator from Vsystem to EPICS presents a significant challenge and risk to day-to-day operations. To minimise this impact throughout the transition, a software bridge between the two control systems has been developed that allows the phased porting of HMIs and hardware. The hybrid Vsystem and EPICS system also allows the continued use of existing feedback control applications that now require interaction between both control systems, for example the halo steering operation in Target Station 1. This work describes the implementation of this bridge, referred to as PVEcho, for the mapping of Vsystem channels to EPICS PVs and vice versa. The position within the wider ISIS controls software stack is outlined as well as how it utilises Python libraries for EPICS. Finally, we will discuss the software development practices applied that have allowed the bridge to run reliably for months at a time.

Slides WE2BCO04 [2.757 MB]

DOI •

reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO04

About •

Received ※ 05 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 08 December 2023 — Issued ※ 11 December 2023

Cite •

reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO05

Continuous Modernization of Control Systems for Research Facilities

993

K. Vodopivec, K.S. Whitepresenter
ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, USA

Funding: This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract DE-AC0500OR22725.
The Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been in operation since 2006. In order to achieve high operating reliability and availability as mandated by the sponsor, all systems participating in the production of neutrons need to be maintained to the highest achievable standard. This includes SNS integrated control system, comprising of specialized hardware and software, as well as computing and networking infrastructure. While machine upgrades are extending the control system with new and modern components, the established part of control system requires continuous modernization efforts due to hardware obsolescence, limited lifetime of electronic components, and software updates that can break backwards compatibility. This article discusses challenges of sustaining control system operations through decades of facility lifecycle, and presents a methodology used at SNS for continuous control system improvements that was developed by analyzing operational data and experience.

Slides WE2BCO05 [1.484 MB]

DOI •

reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO05

About •

Received ※ 05 October 2023 — Revised ※ 12 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 08 December 2023 — Issued ※ 12 December 2023

Cite •

reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO06

EPICS Deployment at Fermilab

997

P.M. Hanlet, J.S. Diamond, M. Gonzalez, K.S. Martin
Fermilab, Batavia, Illinois, USA

Fermilab has traditionally not been an EPICS house, as such expertise in EPICS is limited and scattered. However, PIP-II will be using EPICS for its control system. Furthermore, when PIP-II is operating, it must to interface with the existing, though modernized (see ACORN) legacy control system. We have developed and deployed a software pipeline that addresses these needs and presents to developers a tested and robust software framework, including template IOCs from which new developers can quickly gain experience. In this presentation, we will discuss the motivation for this work, the implementation of a continuous integration/continuous deployment pipeline, testing, template IOCs, and the deployment of user applications. We will also discuss how this is used with the current PIP-II teststand and lessons learned.

Slides WE2BCO06 [2.860 MB]

DOI •

reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO06

About •

Received ※ 06 October 2023 — Revised ※ 23 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 11 December 2023 — Issued ※ 17 December 2023

Cite •

reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)

WE2BCO07

15 Years of ALICE DCS

1002

P.Ch. Chochula, A. Augustinus, P.M. Bond, A.N. Kurepin, M. Lechman, D. Voscek
CERN, Meyrin, Switzerland
O. Pinazza
INFN-Bologna, Bologna, Italy

The ALICE experiment studies ultra relativistic heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Its Detector Control System (DCS) has been ensuring the experiment safety and stability of data collection since 2008. A small central team at CERN coordinated the developments with collaborating institutes and defined the operational principles and tools. Although the basic architecture of the system remains valid, it has had to adapt to the changes and evolution of its components. The introduction of new detectors into ALICE has required the redesign of several parts of the system, especially the front-end electronics control, which triggered new developments. Now, the DCS enters the domain of data acquisition, and the controls data is interleaved with the physics data stream, sharing the same optical links. The processing of conditions data has moved from batch collection at the end of data-taking to constant streaming. The growing complexity of the system has led to a big focus on the operator environment, with efforts to minimize the risk of human errors. This presentation describes the evolution of the ALICE control system over the past 15 years and highlights the significant improvements made to its architecture. We discuss how the challenges of integrating components developed in tens of institutes worldwide have been mastered in ALICE.
This proposed contribution is complemented by poster submitted by Ombretta Pinazza who will explain the user interfaces deployed in ALICE.

DOI •

reference for this paper ※ doi:10.18429/JACoW-ICALEPCS2023-WE2BCO07

About •

Received ※ 06 October 2023 — Revised ※ 11 October 2023 — Accepted ※ 14 December 2023 — Issued ※ 21 December 2023

Cite •

reference for this paper using ※ BibTeX, ※ LaTeX, ※ Text/Word, ※ RIS, ※ EndNote (xml)