Design, construction and commissioning of the Thermal Screen Control System for the CMS Tracker detector at CERN

The CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research) laboratory is currently building the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Four international collaborations have designed (and are now constructing) detectors able to exploit the physics potential of this collider. Among them is the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS), a general purpose detector optimized for the search of Higgs boson and for physics beyond the Standard Model of fundamental interactions between elementary particles. This thesis presents, in particular, the design, construction, commissioning and test of the control system for a screen that provides a thermal separation between the Tracker and ECAL (Electromagnetic CALorimeter) detector of CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid experiment). Chapter 1 introduces the new challenges posed by these installations and deals, more in detail, with the Tracker detector of CMS. The size of current experiments for high energy physics is comparable to that of a small industrial plant: therefore, the techniques used for controls and regulations, although highly customized, must adopt Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) hardare and software. The âﾜslow controlâ systems for the experiments at CERN make extensive use of PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) and SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) to provide safety levels (namely interlocks), regulations, remote control of high and low voltages distributions, as well as archiving and trending facilities. The system described in this thesis must follow the same philosophy and, at the same time, comply with international engineering standards. While the interlocks applications belong straightforwardly to the category of DES (Discrete Event System), and are therefore treated with a Finite State Machine approach, other controls are more strictly related to the regulation problem. Chapter 2 will focus on various aspects of modern process control and on the tools used to design the control system for the thermal screen: the principles upon which the controller is designed and tuned, and the model validated, including the Multiple Input-Multiple Output (MIMO) problematics are explained. The thermal screen itself, the constraints and the basis of its functioning are described in Chapter 3, where the thermodynamical design is discussed as well. For the LHC experiments, the aim of a control system is also to provide a well defined SIL (Safety Interlock Level) to keep the system in a safe condition; yet, in this case, it is necessary to regulate the temperature of the system within certain values and respect the constraints arising from the specific needs of the above mentioned subsystems. The most natural choice for a PLC-based controller is a PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) controller. This kind of controller is widely used in many industrial process, from batch production in the pharmaceutics or automotive field to chemical plants, distillation columns and, in general, wherever a reliable and robust control is needed. In order to design and tune PID controllers, many techniques are in use; the approach followed in this thesis is that of black-box modeling: the system is modeled in the time domain, a transfer function is inferred and a controller is designed. Then, a system identification procedure allows for a more thorough study and validation of the model, and for the controller tuning. Project of the thermal screen control including system modeling, controller design and MIMO implementation issues are entirely covered in Chapter 4. A systems engineering methodology has been followed all along to adequately manage and document every phase of the project, complying with time and budget constraints. A risk analysis has been performed, using Layer of Protection Analysis (LOPA) and Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP), to understand the level of protection assured by the thermal screen and its control components. Tests planned and then performed to validate the model and for quality assurance purposes are described in Chapter 5. A climatic chamber has been designed and built at CERN, where the real operating conditions of the thermal screen are simulated. Detailed test procedures have been defined, following IEEE standards, in order to completely check every single thermal screen panel. This installation allows for a comparison of different controller tuning approaches, including IAE minimization, Skogestad tuning rules, Internal Model Control (IMC), and a technique based upon the MatLab Optimization toolbox. This installation is also used for system identification purposes and for the acceptance tests of every thermal screen panel (allowing for both electrical and hydraulic checks). Also, tests have been performed on the West Hall CERN experimental area , where a full control system has been set up, for interlock high- and low- voltage lines. The interlock system operating procedures and behaviour have been validated during real operating conditions of the detector esposed to a particle beam. The satisfactory results of tests take the project to full completion, allowing the plan to reach the âﾜexitâ stage, when the thermal screen is ready to be installed in the Tracker and ready to be operational

Design specifications and test of the HMPID's control system in the ALICE experiment

The HMPID (High Momentum Particle Identification Detector) is one of the ALICE subdetectors planned to take data at LHC, starting in 2006. Since ALICE will be located underground, the HMPID will be remotely controlled by a Detector Control System (DCS). In this paper we will present the DCS design, accomplished via GRAFCET (GRAphe Fonctionnel de Commande Etape/Transition), the algorithm to translate into code readable by the PLC (the control device) and the first results of a prototype of the Low Voltage Control System. The results achieved so far prove that this way of proceeding is effective and time saving, since every step of the work is autonomous, making the debugging and updating phases simpler

The Integrated HV, LV and Liquid Radiator Control System for the HMPID in the ALICE Experiment at LHC

The complexity and the underground location of the new generation experiments (ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb) at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) requires a reliable and user friendly control system to operate such large detectors remotely. Control system experts at CERN are deeply involved in developing the JCOP (Joint Controls Project) 'Framework', a software running in the PVSSII SCADA1 (Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition) system, that will provide a homogeneous and ready to use tool for the control system developers of the LHC experiments. The High Momentum Particle Identification Detector (HMPID), one of the ALICE2 sub-detectors, is being equipped with a Detector Control System (DCS) developed within the JCOP Framework. In this paper the basic features and the first results of the DCS prototype are presented

R&D in ALICE: The CsI-based RICH high momentum particle identification detector

We report on the R&D studies performed on a CsI-based RICH detector with a liquid perfluorohexane radiator running pure methane at atmospheric pressure. The development, initiated by the CERN RD26 project in 1993, has been pursued in the framework of the ALICE/HMPID collaboration. A prototype of the detector under construction for ALICE is taking data since two years in the STAR experiment at RHIC

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

Controls and Machine Protection Systems

Machine protection, as part of accelerator control systems, can be managed with a 'functional safety' approach, which takes into account product life cycle, processes, quality, industrial standards and cybersafety. This paper will discuss strategies to manage such complexity and the related risks, with particular attention to fail-safe design and safety integrity levels, software and hardware standards, testing, and verification philosophy. It will also discuss an implementation of a machine protection system at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS).Machine protection, as part of accelerator control systems, can be managed with a 'functional safety' approach, which takes into account product life cycle, processes, quality, industrial standards and cybersafety. This paper will discuss strategies to manage such complexity and the related risks, with particular attention to fail-safe design and safety integrity levels, software and hardware standards, testing, and verification philosophy. It will also discuss an implementation of a machine protection system at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory's Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS)

Control system design of the CERN/CMS tracker thermal screen

The Tracker is one of the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid experiment) subdetectors to be installed at the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) accelerator, scheduled to start data taking in 2007 at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research). The tracker will be operated at a temperature of -10 degree C in order to reduce the radiation damage on the silicon detectors; hence, an insulated environment has to be provided by means of a screen that introduces a thermal separation between the Tracker and the neighboring detection systems. The control system design includes a formal description of the process by means of a thermodynamic model; then, the electrical equivalence is derived. The transfer function is inferred by the ratio of the voltage on the outer skin and the voltage input, i.e. the ratio of the temperature outside the tracker and the heat generated (which is the controlled variable). A PID (Proportional Integral Derivative) controller has been designed using MatLab. The results achieved so far prove that this methodology is rigorous, effective and time saving; every step of the procedure is well defined, simplifying the debugging and updating. Besides, the first field tests show a good accordance of the model to the real system. 5 Refs

Optimization of sample injection in TS-FF-AAS for determination of trace elements

In this work we present a proof of concept for the optimization of the analytical performance in ThermoSpray Flame Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (TS-FFAAS) by using different systems of sample injection. The influence of different operational variables was studied with emphasis on the characteristics of the ceramic capillary employed for sample introduction. The classic single hole capillary was compared to capillaries with different number of inner holes (one, four and six) and different spatial distribution. The influence on the analytical signal of a double simultaneous injection applied to different zones of the atomization furnace was also evaluated. Determination of elements with different atomization temperature (Ag, Cd and Se) was done, results shown an optimization of the figures of merit with respect to the TS-FF-AAS conventional assembly increased with the element volatility. Applications of Multi Injection (MI-TS-FF-AAS) was evaluated for determination of Cd in “yerba mate” samples; comparison of the obtained results using the proposed technique with other validated ones showed good agreement, and a reduction of amount of sample for the determination was achieved by using the multi-injection alternative. A discussion focused on the importance of an efficient sample introduction on the figures of merit attainable with TS-FFAAS and analytical applications of the technique is provided.Fil: Carrone, Guillermo Alejandro. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; ArgentinaFil: Morzan, E.. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica; ArgentinaFil: Candal, Roberto Jorge. Universidad Nacional de San Martín. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental. - Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Instituto de Investigación e Ingeniería Ambiental; ArgentinaFil: Tudino, Mabel Beatriz. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Química, Física de los Materiales, Medioambiente y Energía; Argentin