H. Prin

Development of MQXF: The Nb 3 Sn Low-

The High Luminosity (HiLumi) Large Hadron Collider (LHC) project has, as the main objective, to increase the LHC peak luminosity by a factor five and the integrated luminosity by a factor ten. This goal will be achieved mainly with a new interaction region layout, which will allow a stronger focusing of the colliding beams. The target will be to reduce the beam size in the interaction points by a factor of two, which requires doubling the aperture of the low-β (or inner triplet) quadrupole magnets. The use of Nb3Sn superconducting material and, as a result, the possibility of operating at magnetic field levels in the windings higher than 11 T will limit the increase in length of these quadrupoles, called MQXF, to acceptable levels. After the initial design phase, where the key parameters were chosen and the magnets conceptual design finalized, the MQXF project, a joint effort between the U.S. LHC Accelerator Research Program and the Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN), has now entered the construction and test phase of the short models. Concurrently, the preparation for the development of the full-length prototypes has been initiated. This paper will provide an overview of the project status, describing and reporting on the performance of the superconducting material, the lessons learnt during the fabrication of superconducting coils and support structure, and the fine tuning of the magnet design in view of the start of the prototyping phase.

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The upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) collimation system includes additional collimators in the LHC lattice. The longitudinal space for these collimators will be created by replacing some of the LHC main dipoles with shorter but stronger dipoles compatible with the LHC lattice and main systems. The project plan comprises the construction of two cryoassemblies containing each of the two 11-T dipoles of 5.5-m length for possible installation on either side of interaction point 2 of LHC in the years 2018-2019 for ion operation, and the installation of two cryoassemblies on either side of interaction point 7 of LHC in the years 2023-2024 for proton operation. The development program conducted in conjunction between the Fermilab and CERN magnet groups is progressing well. The development activities carried out on the side of Fermilab were concluded in the middle of 2015 with the fabrication and test of a 1-m-long two-in-one model and those on the CERN side are ramping up with the construction of 2-m-long models and the preparation of the tooling for the fabrication of the first full-length prototype. The engineering design of the cryomagnet is well advanced, including the definition of the various interfaces, e.g., with the collimator, powering, protection, and vacuum systems. Several practice coils of 5.5-m length have been already fabricated. This paper describes the overall progress of the project, the final design of the cryomagnet, and the performance of the most recent models. The overall plan toward the fabrication of the series magnets for the two phases of the upgrade of the LHC collimation system is also presented.

Quadrupole for the HiLumi LHC

The main busbar interconnection splices of the Large Hadron Collider are assembled by inductive soldering of the Rutherford type cables and the copper profiles of the stabilizer. Following the September 2008 incident, the assembly process and the quality assurance have been improved, with new measurement and diagnostics methods introduced. In the 2008-2009 shutdown the resistance both in the superconducting and in the normal conducting states have been the focus for improvements. The introduction of gamma radiography has allowed the visualization of voids between cable and stabilizer. It is now known that during the standard soldering heating cycle solder is lost from the busbar extremities adjacent to the splice profiles, leaving parts of the cable in poor contact with the stabilizer. A room temperature resistance measurement has been introduced as a simple, non-destructive test to measure the electrical continuity of the splice in its normal conducting state. An ultrasonic test has been performed systematically in order to verify if the vertical gaps between the splice profiles are filled with Sn96Ag4 solder. Visual inspections of the different splice components before and after interconnection have been reinforced. The additional information gained has allowed targeted improvements in the splice production process. Ad-hoc machining of splice components avoids macroscopic gaps, additional soldering foil and copper shims are used in critical areas in order to improve the cable to stabilizer contact.

The 11 T Dipole for HL-LHC: Status and Plan

The high-luminosity large hadron collider (LHC) project at CERN entered into the production phase in October 2015 after the completion of the design study phase. In the meantime, the development of the 11 T dipole needed for the upgrade of the collimation system of the machine made significant progress with very good performance of the first two-in-one magnet model of 2-m length made at CERN. The 11 T dipole, which is more powerful than the current main dipoles of LHC, can be made shorter with an equivalent integrated field. This will allow creating space for the installation of additional collimators in specific locations of the dispersion suppressor regions. Following tests carried out during heavy ions runs of LHC in the end of 2015, and a more recent review of the project budget, the installation plan for the 11 T dipole was revised. Consequently, one 11 T dipole full assembly containing two 11 T dipoles of 5.5-m length will be installed on either side of interaction point 7. These two units shall be installed during the long shutdown 2 in years 2019–2020. After a brief reminder on the design features of the magnet, this paper describes the current status of the development activities, in particular the short model programme and the construction of the first full scale prototype at CERN. Critical operations such as the reaction treatment and the coil impregnation are discussed, the quench performance tests results of the two-in-one model are reviewed and finally, the plan toward the production for the long shut down 2 is described.

Production and Quality Assurance of Main Busbar Interconnection Splices During the LHC 2008–2009 Shutdown

Within the scope of the High-Luminosity LHC project, the collaboration between CERN and U.S. LARP is developing new low-β quadrupoles using the Nb3Sn superconducting technology for the upgrade of the LHC interaction regions. The magnet support structure of the first short model was designed, and two units were fabricated and tested at CERN and at LBNL. The structure provides the preload to the collar-coil subassembly by an arrangement of outer aluminum shells pretensioned with water-pressurized bladders. For the mechanical qualification of the structure and the assembly procedure, superconducting coils were replaced with solid aluminum “dummy coils,” and the structure was preloaded at room temperature and then cooled-down to 77 K. The mechanical behavior of the magnet structure was monitored with the use of strain gauges installed on the aluminum shells, the dummy coils, and the axial preload system. This paper reports on the outcome of the assembly and the cooldown tests with dummy coils, which were performed at CERN and at LBNL, and presents the strain gauge measurements compared with the 3-D finite-element model predictions.

Progress on the Development of the Nb3Sn 11T Dipole for the High Luminosity Upgrade of LHC

As a part of the large hadron collider luminosity upgrade (HiLumi-LHC) program, CERN is planning to replace some of the 8.33-T 15-m-long Nb-Ti LHC main dipoles with shorter 11 T Nb3Sn magnets providing longitudinal space for additional collimators. Whereas the present design of the 11 T dipole enables the use of RRP conductor with critical current degradation after cabling at the level of 5%, new cross sections of the cable have been studied in order to further decrease the degradation of both critical current and resistivity of the copper matrix. This change is particularly beneficial for the PIT conductor. The coil layout is reoptimized to accommodate the new cable geometry, using the ROXIE code. A set of additional design changes are implemented, such as reduction of the outer yoke diameter. In this paper, we review the main parameters of the present design, describe the changes implemented in the new design, and discuss their impact on both the electromagnetic and structural properties.

Mechanical Qualification of the Support Structure for MQXF, the Nb 3 Sn Low-

The LHC main superconducting circuits are composed of up to 154 series-connected dipole magnets and 51 series-connected quadrupole magnets. These magnets operate at 1.9 K in superfluid helium at a nominal current of 11.85 kA. Cold diodes are connected in parallel to each magnet in order to bypass the current in case of a quench in the magnet while ramping down the current in the entire circuit. Both the diodes and the diode leads should therefore be capable of conducting this exponentially decaying current with time constants of up to 100 s. The diode stacks consist of the diodes and their heat sinks, and are essential elements of the protection system from which extremely high reliability is expected. The electrical resistance of 24 diode leads was measured in the LHC machine during operation. Unexpectedly high resistances of the order of 40 μΩ were measured at a few locations, which triggered a comprehensive review of the diode behavior and of the associated current leads and bolted contacts. In this paper, the thermal and mechanical analysis of the critical parts and bolted contacts is presented, and the results are discussed. Due to a lack of mechanical rigidity and stability, the bolted contacts between the diode leads and the busses of the quadrupole magnets have been redesigned. The consolidated design is described, as well as the dedicated tests carried out for its validation prior to implementation during the long shut down of the LHC machine that is scheduled between March 2013 and December 2014.

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The first Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Long Shutdown (LS1) started in February 2013. It was triggered by the need to consolidate the 13-kA splices between the superconducting magnets to allow the LHC to reach safely its design energy of 14 TeV center of mass. The Superconducting Magnets and Circuits Consolidation (SMACC) project has principally covered the consolidation of the 10170 13-kA splices but also other activities linked to the superconducting magnets such as the exchange of 18 main cryomagnets, the installation of the additional safety relief devices, the repair of known helium leaks, and other consolidation activities. All these works have been structured in a project, gathering about 280 persons. The opening of the interconnections started in April 2013 and consolidation works were completed by September 2014. This paper first describes the preparation phase with the building of the teams and the detailed planning of the operations. Then, this paper carried out is summarized, and the main results achieved are presented. Finally, it gives feedback from the worksite, namely lessons learnt and adaptations that were implemented, both from the technical and organizational points of view.

Quadrupole for the High Luminosity LHC

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) collimation system upgrade plan comprises new collimators in the dispersion suppressors. The length required for each collimator along the LHC lattice is obtained by replacing an LHC main dipole and its cryostat with two shorter but stronger 11-T Nb3Sn magnets keeping the equivalent integrated field of the dipole removed. This requires a modification of the continuous cryostat, in order to create room-temperature beam vacuum sectors for the integration of the new collimators. In this paper, we present a new cryostat designed to allow the installation of a collimator between the 11-T magnets, while ensuring the continuity of the cryogenics, vacuum, and magnet powering systems of the LHC continuous cryostat. Challenging constraints, in terms of fabrication, alignment, and space, led to the development of a cryostat composed of three independent modules. Two of the modules house the 11-T dipole cold masses, which are cooled in the same 1.9-K pressurized superfluid helium bath of the main dipoles. These make use of the same design features of the LHC magnet cryostats, in order to contain construction and assembly costs and benefit from well-established procedures. A third module, which is placed between the two magnets, is equipped with cold to warm transitions on the beam lines and creates the space for the collimator between the vacuum vessel of the two 11-T magnet cryostats. The main functionalities, requirements, and implemented design solutions for this new cryostat are presented and discussed, in the context of the challenging integration in the LHC continuous cryostat and its tunnel.

Design Optimization of the Nb3Sn 11 T Dipole for the High Luminosity LHC

In 2013, a long shutdown of the Large Hadron Collider at CERN will allow comprehensive maintenance plus consolidation of the machine components, in particular of the 13 kA circuits that feed the main superconducting magnets around the 27-km ring. This shutdown will prepare the accelerator for operation at nominal energy, 14 TeV, with adequate margin on the critical performance parameters. An essential part of the consolidation program consists of adding to the 13 kA splices of the magnet interconnects a copper shunt of high RRR(> 300) that will carry the current in the event of a busbar quench. An important R&D program was conducted in 2010 to design a sound solution for the shunt and for an improved insulation system. The development of the insulation system has required iterations aiming at an adequate solution. The functional requirements for the insulation are a breakdown voltage of at least 3.1 kV in superfluid helium and sufficient mechanical strength to withstand stresses of the order of 50 MPa. The insulation system shall provide mechanical restraint for the shunted splices so that their transversal deflection is limited to 0.25 mm. This paper describes the final design of the insulation and the optimization process. The results from dielectric tests and numerical optimization of the insulation cover will be also presented. Finally, the performance of the new insulation will be compared to the previous version.