Rare isotope accelerator remote maintenance concepts

The Rare Isotope Accelerator (RIA) will be a basic science user facility to generate high-energy, high-quality particle beams of rare isotopes for nuclear physics studies. The RIA facility will require remote maintenance capabilities in its target gallery and other associated process areas. This paper outlines the conceptual design for the state-of-the-art remote handling capabilities to support the science mission of RIA. Multiple target stations are used to maximize the availability of the experimental facility. The design philosophy is to produce a system capable of performing a target change-out on one beamline while an adjacent beam remains active. This procedure effectively minimizes the downtime of the facility. The facility must be designed for the possibility of removing and replacing all target gallery components. Consequently, all components must be equipped with lift points and remote couplings compatible with the remote handling system. Remote maintenance will be particularly difficult due to the hardware systems involved and therefore will require careful attention to design-for-remote philosophies.