Cryogenic characteristics of the SSC Accelerator Systems String Test (ASST)

A series of static and dynamic tests of the ASST were conducted from July 1992 to the present. These tests included heat leak measurements, as well as, temperature and pressure profiles obtained during quench testing of the string. An accurate assessment of heat leak measurements of collider components requires a stable thermal environment with the minimization of end effects. The string test provides the ideal static environment necessary to conduct these measurements. This report summarizes the results of the heat leak measurements conducted on the cold mass, 20K, and 80K shields of the dipoles used in the ASST assembly. We also report on the rapidly changing temperatures and pressures recorded during the string quench tests.