3D temperature monitoring for ultra-high vacuum spectrometers in KATRIN experiment

A crucial phase of the KATRIN (Karlsruhe TRItium Neutrino) experiment involves the heating and cooling of both spectrometer vessels to obtain a UHV (ultra-high vacuum). These large vessels are hidden under a thick (~40cm) thermal insulation layer, making non-contact observation of the temperature distribution of the vessel surfaces impossible. Therefore, about 400 temperature sensors are mounted directly along the surface of the vessels beneath the insulation layer. The temperature data is acquired and visualized in real-time using the software NI ¹LabVIEWtrade and NI DIAdemtrade INSIGHT from National Instruments, INSIGHT allows the visualization of measurement data on a 3D-CAD-model of the object. In this application color shading of the model surface indicates real-time temperature changes on the vessel. INSIGHT also allows the user to rotate and zoom the model, providing easy visual access to real-time measurement data at any position of a complex object. In the KATRIN experiment the resulting 3D-view of the vessels with a colored temperature profile on the surface allows the operator to monitor heating and cooling processes and to avoid vacuum leaks that may occur due to thermal stresses