In this way, many of the mandatory permitting requirements are either eliminated completely or are vastly simplified. A site selection process that carefully avoided impingements on ecologically sensitive areas was utilitied to select the preferred site. In addition, APT wastes have been carefully characterized and are manageable. In addition, it will result in a design which will be easier and more cost effective to operate and maintain, provide early indication of opportunities to improve these site standards to better accommodate the new accelerator technologies, and provide an early training opportunity. A variety of variables must be evaluated, with RAMI as the key factor.
Maintenance philosophy is also very important.
Some accelerator facilities continue to operate with short outages for minor repairs until a major maintenance requirement forces the facility to shut down. Other accelerator facilities have an effective predictive maintenance program and routine outages for repairs in hopes that an unexpected major shutdown is avoidable. As part of this process, SRS has developed detailed changeout procedures including timing for several of the major scheduled maintenance operations. Since this is a production facility with a predetermined deliverable, it must attain its stated nameplate availability. In addition, a training plan will be developed to qualify operators and maintenance personnel.