Design and Implementation of An EPICS-Based Automatic Superconducting Module Test System for SHINE

Abstract

Chen Luo, Kai Xu, Zheng Li, Hailong Wu, Hong Wu, Xuefang Huang, Hongru Jiang, Zhigang Zhang, Zhenyu Ma, Qiang Chang, Wenfeng Yang, Yuechao Yu, Xinyu Li, Yawei Huang, Yanfei Zhai, Xuming Liu, Xiaohan Ouyang, Lei Gao, Xiang Zheng, Yubin Zhao and Shenjie Zhao

The Shanghai High Repetition Rate XFEL and Extreme Light Facility (SHINE) is a high- frequency hard X-ray free- electron laser (FEL) facility with a maximum repetition rate of 1 MHz, delivering photon energy from 0.4 to 25 keV. A critical component of SHINE is the superconducting module. Given the inherent complexity of its internal structure, a rigorous and precise performance evaluation is essential before beam operation. To evaluate its performance, we developed an automated module test system based on the Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS). This comprehensive test system integrates various key technical domains, including radio frequency (RF), cryogenics, vacuum, electronics, radiation, and control. The test control framework employs Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) for software architecture, Stream Device for standardized device driver access, PyDM for user interface, Network Time Protocol (NTP) for timing synchronization, and Python scripting for test automation. The test system has been successfully applied to test multiple superconducting modules at our institute. This automation significantly reduces testing time and simplifies procedures, standardizes procedural execution, and ultimately enhances the overall test consistency and efficiency, while also providing a comprehensive data acquisition scheme essential for future beam ope ration analysis.

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