Water cooling system leak proofing strategy for the Plasma Couette Experiment Upgrade (PCX-U)

An improved system for water cooling several experimental components has been installed for the Plasma Couette Experiment Upgrade (PCX-U). The most important aspect of the upgrade was to cool the new SmCo permanent magnet cage array. Many methods of connecting water cooling pipes, tubes, and fittings were employed balancing several factors. These factors included ease of assembly/disassembly, reliability, operating pressure, operating temperature, chemical reactivity, and cost. The actions taken to develop the water cooling system will be discussed and illustrated. A focus will be made on sealing cooling water leaks from the inside out on small diameter metal passages (including extrusions, tubing, and fittings). These passages were located inside a vacuum environment, and only the ends of each passage were accessible to do the work. The vacuum vessel of PCX-U is a 1 meter diameter, 1 meter tall cylinder comprised of 0.25'' thick stainless steel. PCX-U has one removable end. Rings of SmCo magnets attached to a removable frame create a cusp field to contain the plasma and provide a resonance surface for the RF.