THE OPERATOR-DEVELOPED USEFUL TOOLSAT KEKB ACCELERATOR
K. Yoshii, Y. Satoh, T. Kitabayashi, H. Iida, S. Fuke, M. Tanaka, T. Kawasumi,T. Aoyama, S. Shimomura, K. Sugino, T. Nakamura, T. Ohkubo,
Mitsubishi Electric System & Service Co. Ltd., 2-8-8 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0045, JapanandM. Yoshioka,
High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK),
Oho 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0801, Japan
Abstract
The main tasks of the operators at KEKB accelerator
are safety management, beam tuning and operationlogging. In KEKB facility, the accelerator scientists areexploring and developing new beam tuning methods torealize high luminosity. To master these new methods
quickly and correctly, the operators developed their own
tools for day-to-day operation. As a consequence, thestable and high performance operations have realized. In
this paper, we list the operator-developed tools andreport the merits of developing tool by the operators.

•••

were able to get information about the operation
state relatively quickly.
The KEKB accelerator control system was built
based on EPICS. Because of high data
accessibility of EPICS, the data was able to beeasily handled.
Python/TK was able to be used to easily develop
application programs with GUI.
Data from various equipments of KEKB areautomatically logged by using EPICS tools.

2 TOOLS
1 INTRODUCTION
The main tasks of the operators at KEKB [1]accelerator are beam tuning, safety management andoperation logging. According to requests from KEKB
staff, i.e. the accelerator scientist or engineer, theoperators tune the accelerator.
To realize stable and high luminosity, the operators
have to regulate the accelerator condition very carefully.
Effecting directly to luminosity, beam tuning has beenrequiring operator experience and skill. And, when
accidents occur to accelerator operation, the operators
should perform adequate procedures quickly.
Therefore, from the viewpoint of the operators, wethought that the requirements for efficient operation wereas follows.
• To make more time for beam tuning, the otheroperator’s tasks should be automated.
• Routine parts in beam tuning should be automated.
• In order to perform beam tuning more accurately,
the useful application programs, which have onlyrequired function of monitor and control for beamtuning, should be developed.
• All operators should be able to carry out adequate
procedures in the event of trouble.
Fortunately, the following conditions had already beensatisfied.
• The operators could acquire technical knowledge
about the accelerator from KEKB staff.
• The operators already had basic backgrounds ofhardware and software.
•Since the operators had been always close to thescene of the accelerator operation, the operators

From the discussion above, we have developed thefollowing useful tools.

2.1 Operation log monitor
We have developed an application, consists of twoPython programs, for operation logging: One of thesetools, Logger (see Fig 2.1.1), saves the operation data,
which operator should log and monitor, to files, and theother, Viewer (see Fig 2.1.2), displays the logged data in
the files.

Logged dataFig 2.1.1: Logger (Real time logging)
Logged data• • • •• • • •Fig 2.1.2: Viewer (Automatically updated every minute)2.2 Safety management tools for integrated
radiation doses
We have developed an application, consists of two
Python programs for the archived data of accumulative
doses in each area of KEKB (see Fig 2.2): One of thesetools prints out the data of dose per hour once, and theother displays the archived data graphically on theoperator’s console.

2.4 iBump Horizontal offset tools [2], [3]“iBump horizontal offset” is a bump height near thebeam colliding point. Since the luminosity is very
sensitive to the iBump offset, we have to set the offset on
the best point correctly during accelerator operations.
There are Python tools (see Fig 2.4.1,2.4.2) that assist
adjustments of iBump horizontal offset. The adjustments
are based on observed beam size, beam lifetime and akick angle of a steering magnet at the vicinity of IP.

(Display and Print Out)

(Manual setting)

Saving as a fileFig 2.4.1: Setting tool for iBump horizontal offset
Archived data

Beam Size FB* Beam Lifetime FB*: Feedback(Graphical display)

IP Steering FB

Fig 2.4.2: Feedback tool for Beam size, Beam lifetime
and IP Steering.
Fig 2.2: Safety management tools for integrated
radiation doses tools

2.3 Operation status panels
There are Python tools that display only indispensable
data for status monitor, and data currently used for beamtuning by the operators. (Fig 2.3)
g h i jcdef
c : Luminosityd : Beam size(y)e : Beam current
f : Beam Lifetime or Injection rateg : Beam Lifetime or Injection rateh : KEKB status messagei : Beam current Limitj : Beam current

2.5 Communication sheets and Manuals
The operators work in three eight-hour shifts. They
have been using a “Communication sheets” to take overtheir information to next shift. The operators save andnumber operation information, which should be taken
over, on a communication sheets. Shortly afterwards, theoperators arrange the Communication sheets and move
manual sheets of the Communication sheets to the binder
for manuals. To search quickly the manual sheets, theseare divided into some topics, which are magnet, RF,safety, etc, by the operators. These two documents havebeen used for daily operations and for newcomer’straining. (see Fig 2.5.1,2.5.2,2.5.3)

Fig 2.5.1: Communication sheets(LEFT) and Manuals (RIGHT)

Fig 2.3: Operation status panels
Fig 2.5.2:Communication sheets (LEFT),
Fig 2.5.3: Manuals (RIGHT)

3 THE MERITS OF DEVELOPING TOOLBY THE OPERATORSIt is clear that the operation can be efficiently
performed by using operator-developed tools. We regard
the development tools is greatly contributing to stable
and high luminosity of present KEKB operation.
From the present state of developing tools, the meritsof developing tools by the operators as follows.
• What is needed for the operation? What operation
tool should be developed first? The operators cananswer these questions. Therefore, tools
developed by the operators are exactly adapted tooperator’s needs.
• Since the operators are the tool developer andalso the tool user, the user's idea can be imported
to the development immediately and correctly.
• KEKB staff’s tasks to accelerator operation canbe reduced, and that leads further developmentsof the KEKB accelerator.

4 PROBLEMS AND OUR FUTURE PLANS
There are two problems applying the “operatordeveloped tools” concept to KEKB.
• The time for software-development is very muchlimited for operator’s, because the operators
primary jobs is accelerator operation.
• Training of software-engineering are required tooperators, because the application programming
is not familiar for all operators.
We have opened two training courses for newoperators, the Python programming course and theEPICS programming course, as one of our future plans.
In these courses, trainees are given exercises ofdeveloping practical tools for accelerator operation. We
think that two problems, making the time for softwaredeveloping and training of software-engineering, must be
both solved at the same time.

5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWe would like to express our sincere appreciation hereto Professor T. Kato Dr. N. Yamamoto and Dr. T.T.
Nakamura of KEK for giving us the opportunity toprepare this paper.

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