Availability Modeling of the Solid-State Power Amplifiers for the CERN SPS RF Upgrade

As part of the LHC Injector Upgrade program a complete overhaul of the Super Proton Synchrotron Radio-Frequency (RF) system took place. New cavities have been installed for which the solid-state technology was chosen to deliver a combined RF power of 2 MW from 2560 RF amplifiers. This strategy promises high availability as the system continues operation when some of the amplifiers fail. This study quantifies the operational availability that can be achieved with this new installation. The evaluation is based on a Monte Carlo simulation of the system using the novel AvailSim4 simulation software. A model based on lifetime estimations of the RF modules is compared against data from early operational experience. Sensitivity analyses have been made, that give insight to the chosen operational scenario. With the increasing use of solid-state RF power amplifiers, the findings of this study provide a useful reference for future application of this technology in particle accelerators.