Renderings of the MiniBooNE Horn Containment Box Design


Images on this page focus on the evolving design of the box that supports the horn, contains the radioactive air, and routes all utilities to and from the horn. The basic design concept of the horn box shown here combines elements of wing design and antique automobile hoods. I wanted to use as few pieces as possible (including fasteners), yet get good access to the horn during assembly and prototype repair operations. This cover design is completely bolted on and as such is completely removable for optimum horn access.

Upcoming will be details on the air-tight flanges for the target and BPM modules at the very complicated upstream end.

You are welcome to download any of the images. If they are used for other than private viewing, credit to Bartoszek Engineering would be appreciated.


Transparent box, 107K

This picture shows what the final design would look like if it were made from transparent aluminum. (Beam me up, Scotty!)


Cover off, opaque aluminum, 114K

This view shows the box as it would look with the cover off. The 6' man shows the scale of the complete assembly.


Cover on, 106K

This view shows the greater than 800 bolts necessary to seal the box. We will learn during testing how air-tight the box is. The white circle at the downstream end is the .010" thick foil that air seals the downstream end, but offers little resistance to the radiation exiting the box.


Close-up of the US end stripline support, 207K

This picture shows the 1/2" thick plates and their gussets which support the stripline. The double rows of bolts into the C-channels were to increase the ability of those joints to resist moments and stiffen the whole structure. Single rows of fasteners can allow structures to rotate around the axis of the line of bolts.


Cover off showing extra clamps, 268K

This picture shows the additional clamps on the flat bends of the striplines near the twist transitions. I will be designing a "table" to support these clamps from the horn box platform shortly. Note that these are stripline pairs of plates (not triplets with ground on both sides,) so the clamp sees high voltage on one side. This explains why the larger ceramics are used on both sides of the clamp. The aluminum angles that hold the gussets and stripline side support plates to the box platform are not shown here.


Quick disconnect air duct flanges, 222K

This picture shows the current design for a 2-bolt flange to allow quick disconnection of air ducts during a hot-horn replacement. These are the return ducts that carry radioactive air back to the heat exchanger for cooling. Every utility at the upstream end of the horn is being designed to be removed as quickly as possible to reduce the radiation dosage to workers performing a broken horn removal.


Air cowlings around the stripline ends and water manifolds, 209K

The purple structures surrounding the stripline ends are ducts that allow air to be pumped around the striplines to remove their heat. Further down, at the "rainhat", is where the air turns around inside the box and exits through the return ducts. These cowlings will be connected to an air dam at the stripline clamp which is connected to the stripline ends shown. Notice how the supply water fittings are brought out to the side of the box, again to reduce exposure to workers during disassembly. Everything had to be designed to fit inside the coffin that broken radioactive horns are disposed in.


Holes in the platform for air returns, 167K

This image shows the machined pads that the horn bolts down to, the pads that the water system bolts to, and the water dams and holes for the air return. The water dams prevent water that may leak from the horn water cooling system from running into the air cooling system.


Exploded view of the "rain hat", 125K

The rain hat must create an air passage that does not restrict the air flow, while at the same time create a labyrinth that water cannot get into. The water could be spraying in almost any direction from a leaky fitting or cracked manifold.


Close-up of the "rain hat" in final assembly, 245K

The rain hat had to be designed to clear any structure sticking out of the horn as well. This image shows that it fits nicely in the available space.


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