1. Hydrogen Delivery System – R&D Activities T W Bradshaw M Courthold M Hills J Rochford Daresbury Controls Group etc…

2. AS Scientific status Cryostat vessel: Now complete

3. Cryostat: Condenser and condensing pot complete AS Scientific status

4. Cryostat: Following AFC design change, mods underway to 1 st stage thermal cooling

5. Plans & Schedule Ongoing issues with commissioning the Decay Solenoid and Linde refrigerator are still taking effort away from this project (MJDC, JHR, MJH) H2 R&D team at RAL still chronically short-staffed, but recruitment of two additional team members has now been approved by STFC. Ian Mullacrane (DL) coordinating DL effort re controls & instrumentation, which need to comply with IEC 61508/61511 (Functional Safety). Key members of RAL & DL teams now trained in Safety Integrity Level (SIL) assessment; and are now assessing SIL level of H2 R&D system prior to forthcoming safety review. Consultants will still needed to formally assess system, to ensure compliance with IEC 61508/61511. Work on cryostat build at AS Scientific now proceeding more satisfactorily. Final decisions re instrumentation & control hardware for Gas Panel have been taken, and purchasing now underway. The choice of LH2 level detectors is being revisited, following the discovery that AMI now has a UK office and ought now to be able to ATEX certify the sensors.

6. Plans & Schedule Design of H2 ventilation system and external pump housing complete, and tender action underway. There is an issue re explosion-proofing the ventilation system, which is still to be resolved. Mound excavation complete. Hydrogen System Control Room has been assigned. H2 system purging pump, along with backing-pump for cryostat pumping rig, will be housed outside MICE Hall. The design of the enclosure is in progress. Exact location of turbo-pump for the R&D cryostat pumping rig still to be decided. It needs to be located outside magnetic shielding wall, but its location might differ from that of final system, and it is important not to cut more holes in shielding wall than absolutely necessary. Initial tests will be conducted with Helium in Cryogenics Laboratory, to avoid interference with installation of ventilation system

7. Ventilation & Vacuum Systems MICE Hall South Wall Hydrogen Extraction Vents Proposed Area for Vacuum Pump Enclosure Conduits for vacuum lines installed during August shutdown

8. Hall Installation Ventilation Ducts Enclosure (containing Gas Panel, Hydride Bed and Buffer Tank) Heater/Chiller Units for Hydride Bed Transfer Line Test Cryostat

9. Plans & Schedule Schedule has been revised: It is anticipated that the ventilation system in the hall will be installed by the end of March. It is planned to submit H2 R&D commissioning plan to ISIS/MICE Safety Committee in February. A MICE/ISIS Safety Review will be held as soon as practical in the near future, hopefully Feb/Mar, at which the next steps towards a final Safety Review will be decided.

10. Testing Helium Tests Check instrumentation Pump and purge Check relief valve settings and operation Check cryocooler operation at LH2 and LHe temperatures Liquify helium in the cryostat Test emptying sequence Thermally cycle the system, to check for leaks from thermal stresses Hydrogen Tests Check alarms and interlocks Liquify hydrogen in the cryostat Check empty and purge sequence Test effect of using Helium top-up gas to maintain positive pressure Measure H2 desorption rate Measure H2 absorption rate

11. Instrumentation update Temperature Sensors –Platinum Resistance Fast response time (<0.5s) –Cernox for cooler cold head temp. Level Sensors –AMI Capacitance Level Transmitter –Useable with Hydrogen –Problem with obtaining ATEX certification, but there is now an AMI UK office, so a solution should now be possible Pressure and Vacuum Gauges –Leybold can supply capacitance vacuum gauges, which are safe for use with hydrogen. –Explosion proof pressure transducers available from Honeywell –ATEX approved pressure transducers also available from SensorsOne Level Sensors Pressure Transducers Temperature sensors