Beam Loss Damage in a Wire Septum

The beams for the Large Hadron Collider LHC will be extracted from the Super Proton Synchrotron SPS in points LSS4 (Long Straight Section) and LSS6 in fast mode during a single turn. For this purpose a new fast extraction will be designed in LSS4. In LSS6 the existing slow extraction channel needs modification such that it can provide fast extracted beam for LHC, while continuing to provide the West Experimental Area with long spills. Both fast and slow extraction must be available from the same point, although in an interleaved mode. This imposes the retention of the thin electrostatic wire septum ZS actually in use.<BR> The present article focuses on the effect of total beam loss in the electrostatic septum as it could occur e.g. due to a kicker magnet failure during fast extraction in LSS6. Then the entire SPS beam of 4.13 10^13 protons would impinge on the septum wires. The damage caused by the resulting electromagnetic and hadronic particle showers is determined and the need to protect the ZS is evaluated.<BR>