Nicholas Sammut

Focusing Strength Measurements of the Main Quadrupoles for the LHC

More than 1100 quadrupole magnets of different types are needed for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) which is in the construction stage at CERN. The most challenging parameter to measure on these quadrupoles is the integrated gradient (Gdl). An absolute accuracy of 0.1% is needed to control the beta beating. In this paper we briefly describe the whole set of equipment used for Gdl measurements: Automated Scanner system, Single Stretched Wire system and Twin Coils system, concentrating mostly on their absolute accuracies. Most of the possible inherent effects that can introduce systematic errors are discussed along with their preventive methods. In the frame of this qualification some of the magnets were tested with two systems. The results of the intersystem cross-calibrations are presented. In addition, the qualification of the measurement system used at the magnet manufacturers is based on results of more than 40 quadrupole assemblies tested in cold conditions at CERN and in warm conditions at the vendor site

Analytical, Numerical and Experimental Study of a Horizontal Electrothermal MEMS Microgripper for the Deformability Characterisation of Human Red Blood Cells

Microgrippers are typical microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) that are widely used for micromanipulation and microassembly in both biological and micromanufacturing fields. This paper presents the design, modelling, fabrication and experimental testing of an electrothermal microgripper based on a ‘hot and cold arm’ actuator design that is suitable for the deformability characterisation of human red blood cells (RBCs). The analysis of the mechanical properties of human RBCs is of great interest in the field of medicine as pathological alterations in the deformability characteristics of RBCs have been linked to a number of diseases. The study of the microgripper’s steady-state performance is initially carried out by the development of a lumped analytical model, followed by a numerical model established in CoventorWare® (Coventor, Inc., Cary, NC, USA) using multiphysics finite element analysis. Both analytical and numerical models are based on an electothermomechanical analysis, and take into account the internal heat generation due to the applied potential, as well as conduction heat losses through both the anchor pads and the air gap to the substrate. The models are used to investigate key factors of the actuator’s performance including temperature distribution, deflection and stresses based on an elastic analysis of structures. Results show that analytical and numerical values for temperature and deflection are in good agreement. The analytical and computational models are then validated experimentally using a polysilicon microgripper fabricated by the standard surface micromachining process, PolyMUMPs™ (Durham, NC, USA). The microgripper’s actuation is characterised at atmospheric pressure by optical microscopy studies. Experimental results for the deflection of the microgripper arm tips are found to be in good agreement with the analytical and numerical results, with process-induced variations and the non-linear temperature dependence of the material properties accounting for the slight discrepancies observed. The microgripper is shown to actuate to a maximum opening displacement of 9 μm at an applied voltage of 3 V, thus being in line with the design requirement of an approximate opening of 8 μm for securing and characterising a RBC.

Magnetic Performance of the Main Superconducting Magnets for the LHC

The field strength and homogeneity of all the LHC superconducting magnets were measured as a part of the production control and qualification process that has taken place during the past four years. In addition to field measurements at room temperature performed on the integral of the production, a significant part of the magnets has been subjected to extensive magnetic measurements at cold. The measurements at cryogenic temperatures, generally performed up to excitation currents of 12 kA corresponding to the ultimate LHC energy of 7.6 TeV, were mainly based on static and dynamic field integral and harmonic measurements. This allowed us to study in detail the DC effects from persistent current magnetization and long-term decay during constant current excitation. These effects are all expected to be of relevance for the field setting and error compensation in the LHC. This paper reports the main results obtained during these tests executed at operating conditions. The integrated field quality is discussed in terms of distribution (average and spread) of the field strength and low-order harmonics as obtained for all the main ring magnet families (dipoles, main and matching quadrupoles). The dependence of field quality on coil geometry, magnet and cable manufacturer is analyzed. A projection of the field quality expected for the critical components in the machine is presented.

Magnetic Determination of the Current Center Line for the Superconducting ITER TF Coils

The ITER tokamak includes 18 superconducting D-shaped toroidal field (TF) coils. Unavoidable shape deformations as well as assembly errors will lead to error fields in the final configuration, which can be modeled with the knowledge of the current center line (CCL). We are building a room temperature magnetic measurement system using low-frequency ac excitation current through the TF coil and arrays of pickup coils, fabricated with printed circuit board technology. Deviations from the expected shape of the CCL will be obtained by comparing the amplitude of magnetic flux measured at several locations around the perimeter of the TF coil, with values computed assuming the nominal current distribution. We present experimental results obtained with a cable placed in one-turn groove of a full scale radial plate.

Automatic Threshold Selection for BLM Signals during LHC Collimator Beam-Based Alignment

The Large Hadron Collider at CERN is the largest high-energy particle accelerator in the world. Proton beams are currently collided at an energy of 4 TeV per beam to investigate the fundamental elements of matter. The collider is equipped with a collimation system to ensure that potentially destructive halo particles are absorbed before they hit vulnerable elements. Beam-based alignment of the collimators is required to ensure that they are positioned for maximum cleaning efficiency. The alignment procedure relies on feedback from Beam Loss Monitors, and is currently being automated to speed it up. This paper describes a method for automatically selecting a threshold for the beam loss signal during alignment, based on an empirical analysis of collimator alignment data over one year of operation. The results achieved with threshold selection during alignments at 4 TeV are presented.

Classification of LHC beam loss spikes using Support Vector Machines

The CERN Large Hadron Colliders (LHC) collimation system is the most complex beam cleaning system ever designed. It requires frequent setups to determine the beam centres and beam sizes at the 86 collimator positions. A collimator jaw is aligned to the beam halo when a clear beam loss spike is detected on a Beam Loss Monitor (BLM) downstream of the collimator. This paper presents a technique for identifying such clear loss spikes with the aid of Support Vector Machines. The training data was gathered from setups held during the first three months of the 2011 LHC run, and the model was tested with data from a machine development period.

Parametric field modeling for the lhc main magnets in operating conditions

The first beam injections and current ramps in the LHC will require a prediction of the settings of the magnet current as well as the main correctors. For this reason we are developing a parametric model of the magnetic field generated by the LHC magnets that will provide the field dependence on current, ramp-rate, time, and history. The model of the field is fitted on magnetic field measurements performed during the acceptance tests of the magnets before their installation in the machine. In this paper we summarize the different steps necessary to select the relevant data and identify the parameters: the data extraction, the filtering and the validation of the measurements, and the fitting procedure that is used to obtain the parameters from the experimental results. The main result reported is a summary of the value of the parameters obtained with the above procedure, and describing the behavior of the magnetic field in the LHC main dipoles and quadrupoles.

Influence of External Conductive Objects on the Performance of an Ironless Inductive Position Sensor

The ironless inductive position sensor (I2PS) is a novel device that measures high-precision linear position without being affected by radiation and external magnetic fields. Built on the basis of the linear variable differential transformer, the I2PS senses the variation of flux linkage between the supply and sense coils which is related to the linear position of the moving coil. This paper characterizes the magnetic performance of the I2PS through a detailed analysis of the impact of axisymmetrical external conductive objects on the sensor. This characterization is performed through a set of finite element simulations and through dedicated experiments. Axisymmetrical conductive objects result in offset voltages, but the differential measurement techniques combined with high-resolution calibration curves mitigate this effect.

A Hall Plate Based Instrument to Measure the Snapback in the Large Hadron Collider Superconducting Dipole Magnets

The decay and snapback of the magnetic field multipoles in superconducting particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) could result in a significant particle beam loss unless adequately compensated. Whilst standard instrumentation used to measure the field quality of the superconducting magnets is good enough to measure the harmonic decay, it is not fast enough to measure the snapback. Therefore, a state of the art instrument was recently developed at CERN to measure the most important harmonics with a high measurement frequency and hence improve the understanding of the snapback phenomenon. In this paper we describe the instruments principle of operation, its mechanical arrangement, its compensation system and its digital acquisition system. We also compare the performance of two different techniques implemented to achieve the necessary measurement resolution of 6 orders of magnitude lower than the main superimposed dipole field

Electrical and Magnetic Performance of the LHC Short Straight Sections

The Short Straight Section (SSS) for the Large Hadron Collider arcs, containing in a common cryostat the lattice quadrupoles and correction magnets, have now entered series production. The foremost features of the lattice quadrupole magnets are a two-in-one structure containing two 56 mm aperture, two-layers coils wound from 15.1 mm wide NbTi cables, enclosed by the stainless steel collars and ferromagnetic yoke, and inserted into the inertia tube. Systematic cryogenic tests are performed at CERN in order to qualify these magnets with respect to their cryogenic and electrical integrity, the quench performance and the field quality in all operating conditions. This paper reports the main results obtained during tests and measurements in superfluid helium. The electrical characteristics, the insulation measurements and the quench performance are compared to the specifications and expected performances for these magnets. The field in the main quadrupole is measured using three independent systems: 10-m long twin rotating coils, an automatic scanner, and single stretched wire. A particular emphasis is given to the integrated transfer function which has a spread of around 12 units rms in the production and is a critical issue. The dodecapole harmonic component, which required trimming through a change in coil shims, is also discussed. Finally, the magnetic axis measurements at room temperature and at 1.9 K, providing the nominal vertical shift for installation are reported