Within the first phase of MYRRHA, an Accelerator Driven System in which a superconducting linac drives a subcritical nuclear reactor, the MINERVA project is constructing at SCK CEN a cryogenic system for a 30-cryomodule He II linac operating at 2 K. At this scale, architecture and design choices are shaped by a combination of technical, operational, and project constraints.
We present the systems engineering journey from design basis to current implementation. We start from key cryogenic challenges, such as continuous-wave RF operation, cavity pressure stability, and large-scale He II operation. From there, we show how these requirements shaped the system architecture and drove the progressive consolidation of the design. Finally, we discuss the procurement approach adopted across the cryogenic system, ranging from full design ownership at cryomodule level, over process- and instrumentation-driven specifications for the cryogenic distribution system, to top-level functional and operational specifications for the cryoplant. The current implementation status and key lessons learned along the way are also presented.

Keywords