Design and Development of a New ISOLDE Beam Dump

The CERN ISOLDE facility is currently equipped with two uncooled iron blocks acting as beam dumps. They were installed in 1991 and they are currently operating outside of the original design parameters. In order to guarantee the reliability and safety of the installation for the years to come, a study has been launched to evaluate the behaviour of the current dumps, as well as the possibility to exchange the ISOLDE beam dumps during CERN's Long Shutdown 3. The consolidation would also allow compatibility with the PS Booster 2.0 GeV and intensity upgrade that is under discussion. To evaluate the performance of the current devices, a finite element model of the beam dump has been carried out. The results of the finite element study have been compared with the measurements of temperature sensors placed in the beam dump faces, and the parameters of the finite element model have been adjusted to better reflect the measured behaviour. Additionally, the finite element model has been used to simulate the behaviour of the beam dumps at higher energies and intensities, which has allowed setting rational limits for the operation of ISOLDE from the point of view of the beam dumps. A new beam dump model is also proposed that would be compatible with the operation of ISOLDE for the medium-term future of the facility. The proposal is compatible with all the necessary constraints and a finite element model has been made to assess that its thermo-mechanical behaviour is adequate.