Development and testing of a double length pets for the CLIC experimental area

CLIC (compact linear collider) is a future e+e− collider based on normal-conducting technology, currently under study at CERN. Its design is based on a novel two-beam acceleration scheme. The main beam gets RF power extracted from a drive beam through power extraction and transfer structures (PETS). The technical feasibility of CLIC is currently being proved by its Third Test Facility (CTF3) which includes the CLIC experimental area (CLEX). Two Double Length CLIC PETS will be installed in CLEX to validate their performance with beam. This paper is focused on the engineering design, fabrication and validation of this PETS first prototype. The design consists of eight identical bars, separated by radial slots in which damping material is located to absorb transverse wakefields, and two compact couplers placed at both ends of the bars to extract the generated power. The PETS bars are housed inside a vacuum tank designed to make the PETS as compact as possible. Several joint techniques such as vacuum brazing, electron beam and arc welding were used to complete the assembly. Finally, several tests such as dimensional control and leak testing were carried out to validate design and fabrication methods. In addition, RF measurements at low power were made to study frequency tuning.