Handling and Transport of Oversized Accelerator Components and Physics Detectors

For cost, planning and organisational reasons, it is often decided to install large pre-built accelerators components and physics detectors. As a result surface exceptional transports are required from the construction to the installation sites. Such heavy transports have been numerous during the LHC installation phase. This paper will describe the different types of transport techniques used to fit the particularities of accelerators and detectors components (weight, height, acceleration, planarity) as well as the measurement techniques for monitoring and the logistical aspects (organisation with the police, obstacles on the roads, etc). As far as oversized equipment is concerned, the lowering into the pit is challenging, as well as the transport in tunnel galleries in a very scare space and without handling means attached to the structure like overhead travelling cranes. From the PS accelerator to the LHC, handling systems have been developed at CERN to fit with these particular working conditions. This paper will expose the operating conditions of the main transport equipments used at CERN in PS, SPS and LHC tunnels

Study of supports for the final doublets of ATF2

We investigated supports for the final doublets of ATF2 with vertical relative motion to the floor of final doublets below 10nm. Our calculations of relative motion were done by using data of ATF ground motion. We studied the vibratory behaviour of a steel lightweight honeycomb table as a base for fixing magnets. First, the table was fixed to the floor by four steel feet at its corners. Its first vertical resonance was at 41Hz, which induces a non negligible relative motion (5.7nm) compared to ATF2 tolerances. Modal shape measurements show that the six first resonances of the table (below 150Hz) are rigid body modes in the six degrees of freedom. The conclusion of these measurements is that the table is very rigid and well adapted for ATF2 project but the rigidity of the four steel feet is not sufficient compared to the rigidity of the table. Consequently, the table was fixed to the floor on one entire face to break these six rigid body modes by three large steel plates. The first vertical resonance was then at higher frequencies (92Hz), which show that good boundary conditions were chosen for the table. The relative motion was then low (3.5nm above 0.1Hz) compared to ATF2 tolerances. To finish, we studied the vibratory behaviour of one ATF2 FD sextupole and one ATF2 FD quadrupole with their intermediary supports made at LAPP and used to fix these magnets to the honeycomb table. The measurements showed that the final doublets with their intermediary supports were well designed because the first resonance of sextupoles and quadrupoles was at high frequency (above 100 Hz and at 76Hz respectively), which induced a small relative motion of final doublets to the floor compared to ATF2 tolerances

Mechanical Design Analysis of MQXFB, the 7.2-m-Long Low-β Quadrupole for the High-Luminosity LHC Upgrade

As part of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Project, a set of Nb Snquadrupoles are being developed, aiming to enhance the performance of the inner triplets. The new magnets, identified as MQXFA and MQXFB, will share the same cross section with two different lengths, 4.2 and 7.2 m, respectively. During the magnet development, three short models were tested, along with a number of mechanical models, demonstrating the capability of the magnet cross section to achieve the specified performances. The same performances are now required for the full-length magnets. To ensure this, the authors studied the impact of the magnet length on the capability of the structure to provide an adequate support to the coils. Finite element and simplified analytical models were used to evaluate the impact of the magnet length on the stresses in the magnet ends and coil elongation during powering. The models were calibrated using the results from the short model tests, and used to provide an indication on the required prestress and its foreseen impact on the magnet performance.

Mechanical Performance of Short Models for MQXF, the Nb3Sn Low-β Quadrupole for the Hi-Lumi LHC

In the framework of the Hi-Lumi LHC Project, CERN and U.S. LARP are jointly developing MQXF, a 150-mm aperture high-field Nb3Sn quadrupole for the upgrade of the inner triplet of the low-beta interaction regions. The magnet is supported by a shell-based structure, providing the preload by means of bladder-key technology and differential thermal contraction of the various components. Two short models have been produced using the same cross section currently considered for the final magnet. The structures were preliminarily tested replacing the superconducting coils with blocks of aluminum. This procedure allows for model validation and calibration, and also to set performance goals for the real magnet. Strain gauges were used to monitor the behavior of the structure during assembly, cool down and also excitation in the case of the magnets. The various structures differ for the shell partitioning strategies adopted and for the presence of thick or thin laminations. This paper presents the results obtained and discusses the mechanical performance of all the short models produced up to now

Assembly of a Mechanical Model of MQXFB, the 7.2-m-Long Low-β Quadrupole for the High-Luminosity LHC Upgrade

The Nb Sn low-β quadrupole MQXF is being developed as a part of the High-Luminosity large hadron collider (LHC) upgrade project. The magnet will be produced in two different configurations, sharing the same cross section but with different lengths. A 7.2-m mechanical model of MQXFB was recently assembled at european organization for nuclear research (CERN) with one copper coil, two low-grade coils, and one rejected coil. Coil dimensions were measured with a portable coordinate measurement machine. The coil pack shimming was designed in order to optimize the field quality and the contacts between the coils and the collars. The azimuthal preload target was defined using the short models experience. The mechanical behavior during loading was monitored by means of strain gauges. The results demonstrated that the structure can provide the required prestress to the coils.

Study of the Stabilization to the Nanometer Level of Mechanical Vibrations of the CLIC Main Beam

Original publication available at http://www.jacow.org/International audienceTo reach the design luminosity of CLIC, the movements of the quadrupoles should be limited to the nanometre level in order to limit the beam size and emittance growth. Below 1 Hz, the movements of the main beam quadrupoles will be corrected by a beambased feedback. But above 1 Hz, the quadrupoles should be mechanically stabilized. A collaboration effort is ongoing between several institutes to study the feasibility of the "nanostabilization" of the CLIC quadrupoles. The study described in this paper covers the characterization of independent measuring techniques including optical methods to detect nanometre sized displacements and analyze the vibrations. Actuators and feedback algorithms for sub-nanometre movements of magnets with a mass of more than 400 kg are being developed and tested. Input is given to the design of the quadrupole magnets, the supports and alignment system in order to limit the amplification of the vibration sources at resonant frequencies. A full scale mock-up integrating all these features is presently under design. Finally, a series of experiments in accelerator environments should demonstrate the feasibility of the nanometre stabilization

Design, construction, and beam tests of a rotatable collimator prototype for high-intensity and high-energy hadron accelerators

A rotatable-jaw collimator design was conceived as a solution to recover from catastrophic beam impacts which would damage a collimator at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) or its High-Luminosity upgrade (HL-LHC). One such rotatable collimator prototype was designed and built at SLAC and delivered to CERN for tests with LHC-type circulating beams in the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). This was followed by destructive tests at the dedicated High Radiation to Materials (HiRadMat) facility to validate the design and rotation functionality. An overview of the collimator design, together with results from tests without and with beam are presented