RHIC Power Supply Ramp Diagnostics*

Abstract

Reliable and reproducible performance of the more than 800 Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) magnet power supplies is essential to successful RHIC operation. In order to support power supply commissioning, a system was developed to capture detailed power supply measurements from all the RHIC ring power supplies during acceleration ramps. Diagnostic tools were developed to allow experts to assess ramp reproducibility and rapidly identify problems. The system has now become a routine part of RHIC operations, with data captured for every acceleration ramp. This paper describes the RHIC power supply ramp diagnostic system and considers its impact on RHIC operations.