Development of an 805 MHz, 550 kW pulsed klystron for the Spallation Neutron Source project

Summary form only given. The Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) is an accelerator-based neutron source being built in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, by the US Department of Energy. The SNS will provide the most intense pulsed neutron beams in the world for scientific research and industrial development. Los Alamos National Laboratory has ordered 65 klystrons for the superconducting portion of the accelerator from CPI. The key klystron components include: cathode-pulsed electron gun; six-cavity RF circuit, including one cavity tuned near the second harmonic of the operating frequency; single output window; collector capable of dissipating the full beam power. The prototype unit of this model, designated VKP-8291A, is schedule to be in testing at the end of March 2002. Performance specifications, computer model predictions, and prototype operating results are presented.