Construction and commissioning of the AGS Booster ultra-high vacuum system

The recently completed AGS Booster is a synchrotron for the acceleration of protons and heavy ions. To minimize the beam loss due to charge exchange of the partially stripped, low beta (= v/c), very heavy ions with the residual gas molecules, ultra high vacuum of 10(exp -11) Torr is required for the 200 m Booster ring. An average pressure of mid 10(exp -11) Torr has been achieved and maintained after initial insitu bakes and commissioning. In this paper we describe the following: (1) design and layout of the vacuum systems; (2) material selection and vacuum processing; (3) PC/PLC based bakeout system; (4) operation of vacuum instrumentation over long cable length; (5) results of bakeout and evaluation; and (6) experience gained during construction and commissioning.