Quick Shot
MCTC On-Cart Viewing Upgrade Project
October 04, 2021
A new 16-in. vacuum spool is shown being installed in MCTC#1 by Chad Fella (left), Michael Coffey, and Sean Adams (lower right). New large equatorial viewing ports (protected by a red cover) are evident on the spool. In addition, at lower left, the MC upper shroud can be seen with its new equatorial viewing port in view.
The MCTC-OCV2 On-Cart Viewing upgrade project will enable a technician to grow and characterize a spherical ice crystal inside a cryogenic DT target shell using an improved imaging system onboard a Moving Cryogenic Transfer Cart (MCTC). The design includes larger shroud windows, an equatorial viewing axis, and custom optics, which together enable a larger numerical aperture and increased resolution. The increased resolution will enable delineation of the bright rings required for shadowgraphic ice-layer characterization. This system upgrade will reduce the need to move the MCTC to a Characterization Station to grow and assess layers, increase throughput, and make shorter fill-to-shot cycles possible. The system will also allow layer characterization to be performed closer to shot time while the MCTC is parked at the Lower Pylon. The equatorial view of the target will improve surface mapping coverage and imaging of the stalk/shell joint. Since the MC and shroud are mounted on springs, there is no fixed reference for the optical axis. This allows the entire imaging system to move as a single unit to compensate for the nondeterministic shroud position while maintaining a fixed magnification. The new 16-in. vacuum spool (shown) incorporates equatorial viewports and has three large brackets to support a custom adjustable optical table.