Development, construction and tests of the Mu2e electromagnetic calorimeter mechanical structures

The “muon-to-electron conversion” (Mu2e) experiment at Fermilab will search for the charged lepton flavour violating neutrino-less coherent conversion of a muon into an electron in the field of an aluminum nucleus. The observation of this process would be the unambiguous evidence of the existence of physics beyond the standard model. Mu2e detectors comprise a straw-tracker, an electromagnetic calorimeter and an external veto for cosmic rays. In particular, the calorimeter provides excellent electron identification, a fast calorimetric online trigger, and complementary information to aid pattern recognition and track reconstruction. The detector has been designed as a state-of-the-art crystal calorimeter and employs 1348 pure Cesium Iodide (CsI) crystals readout by UV-extended silicon photosensors and fast front-end and digitization electronics. A design consisting of two identical annular matrices (named “disks”) positioned at the relative distance of 70 cm downstream the aluminum target along the muon beamline satisfies the Mu2e physics requirements. The hostile Mu2e operational conditions, in terms of radiation levels (total expected ionizing dose of 12 krad and a neutron fluence of 5 × 1010 n/cm2 @ 1 MeVeq (Si)/y), magnetic field intensity (1 T) and vacuum level (10−4 Torr) have posed tight constraints on scintillating materials, sensors, electronics and on the design of the detector mechanical structures and material choice. The support structure of each 674 crystal matrix is composed of an aluminum hollow ring and parts made of open-cell vacuum-compatible carbon fiber. The photosensors and front-end electronics for the readout of each crystal are inserted in a machined copper holder and make a unique mechanical unit. The resulting 674 mechanical units are supported by a machined plate of vacuum-compatible plastic material. The plate also integrates the cooling system made of a network of copper lines flowing a low temperature radiation-hard fluid and placed in thermal contact with the copper holders to constitute a low resistance thermal bridge. The data acquisition electronics are hosted in aluminum custom crates positioned on the external lateral surface of the disks. The crates also integrate the electronics cooling system as lines running in parallel to the front-end system. In this paper we report on the calorimeter mechanical structure design, the mechanical and thermal simulations that have determined the design technological choices, and the status of component production, quality assurance tests and plans for assembly at Fermilab.

Significance of Entropy Generation and the Coriolis Force on the Three-Dimensional Non-Darcy Flow of Ethylene-Glycol Conveying Carbon Nanotubes (SWCNTs and MWCNTs)

Nanofluids based on CNTs/ethylene glycol have a potential role in contributing to industrial applications like heat exchangers, domestic refrigerator, electronics cooling, etc. The aim and novelty of the present research is to communicate the significance of the Coriolis force and Darcy-Forchheimer stretched flow of ethylene glycol (EG) conveying carbon nanotubes (CNTs) in a rotating frame. Furthermore, entropy analysis is the main focus in this study. Two types of CNTs known as multiwalled (MWCNT) and single-walled (SWCNT) carbon nanotubes are considered. Ethylene glycol (EG) is treated as the base liquid. Xue’s model is utilized for the physical aspects of specific heat, density and thermal conductivity. The heat transfer mechanism is modeled through nonlinear thermal radiation, viscous dissipation and convective condition. The governing flow problems have been computed numerically via the NDSolve method. Outcomes for single-walled and multi-walled CNTs are arranged and compared. Our findings reveal that entropy generation is accompanied by an increasing trend in the Brinkman number and temperature ratio parameter. Temperature increases with the intensification of radiative and convective variables. Moreover, the temperature gradient has marginally larger values in the case of SWCNT, when compared with MWCNT.

Novel Air-Cooled Thermosyphon Cooling System for Desktop Computers

The trade-off between efficient cooling and low power consumption is a goal that has always been very desirable in electronics cooling, especially nowadays that power densities of processing units are increasing. Conventional cooling solutions do not have the necessary cooling capacities for these power densities or require significant power consumption. In this study, a novel air-cooled thermosyphon cooling system for desktop computers is presented and experimentally tested. The thermosyphon comprises a vertical micro-channel cold plate as the evaporator and a horizontal air-cooled multiport coil as the condenser. The thermosyphon has a total height of 12 cm and operates with a fan speed of 1700 RPM. The working fluid selected for the thermosyphon loop is R1234ze(E), chosen for its advantageous thermophysical properties and nearly zero-GWP (Global Warming Potential). The test results presented in this paper aim to analyze thermosyphon’s thermal and hydraulic performance by studying the trends of thermal resistance and mass flow rate as a function of different operating conditions. The maximum heat rejection under safe conditions is 250 W, corresponding to a heat flux of about 18 W/cm2.