Operational Experiences of J-PARC cryogenic hydrogen system for a spallation neutron source

The Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) cryogenic hydrogen system was completed in April 2008. The proton beam power was gradually increased to 500 kW. A trial 600-kW proton beam operation was successfully completed in April 2015. We achieved long-lasting operation for more than three months. However, thus far, we encountered several problems such as unstable operation of the helium refrigerator because of some impurities, failure of a welded bellows of an accumulator, and hydrogen pump issues. Furthermore, the Great East Japan Earthquake was experienced during the cryogenic hydrogen system operation in March 2011. In this study, we describe the operation characteristics and our experiences with the J-PARC cryogenic hydrogen system. (paper)