• D.J. Solley, D.E. Anderson, M. Wezensky
  ORNL, Oak Ridge, Tennessee
• C. Burkhart, M.A. Kemp, M.N. Nguyen
  SLAC, Menlo Park, California

The SNS at ORNL has been operational since 2006, during which time beam power to target has been ramping. As of September 2009, a sustainable 1 MW was achieved, continuing to make SNS the highest energy pulsed neutron source available for scientific research worldwide. Having achieved the design energy, the shift in focus is now towards increasing the availability for researchers using the facility. For example, a 25,000 hour MTBF together with a four hour MTTR goal for the High Voltage Converter Modulators (HVCMs) translates into a 99.98% availability figure. This ambitious goal requires careful engineering of system components, the ability to actively monitor and respond to fault conditions and employment of redundancy wherever possible. This paper outlines the features of the latest IGBT gate drivers that switch the 1200 A, 3300/4500V IGBT modules used in the modulator. The paper goes on to discuss how the signals monitored within each driver can be processed by a central controller to optimize and protect the power stage in a particularly hostile environment. Examples of how the new drivers can improve system availability and improve fault response will also be reported