Further Development of the Sextupole Dipole Corrector (MSCB) Magnet for the LHC

Combined sextupole-dipole corrector magnets (MSCB) will be mounted in each half cell of the new Large Hadron Collider (LHC) being built at CERN. The dipole part, used for particle orbit corrections, will be powered individually and is designed for low current, originally 30 A but now 55 A. The sextupole part, used for chromaticity corrections, is connected via cold busbars in families of 12 or 13 magnets and is powered with 550 A. Several versions of this corrector magnet were tested as model magnets in order to develop the final design for the series. In the first design the coils are nested, with the dipole coil wound around the sextupole coil to obtain as short a magnet as possible, accepting the slight cross-talk between the coils due to persistent currents, and increased saturation effects. The design has evolved and an alternative design, in which the dipole and sextupole coils are separated, is now favored. Tests at 4.5 K and at 1.9 K were conducted to determine the training behavior, the field quality, and the cross-talk between the windings. This paper discusses the results for the different configurations

Heart rate variability and target organ damage in hypertensive patients

Background: We evaluated the association between linear standard Heart Rate Variability (HRV) measures and vascular, renal and cardiac target organ damage (TOD). Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed including 200 patients registered in the Regione Campania network (aged 62.4 ± 12, male 64%). HRV analysis was performed by 24-h holter ECG. Renal damage was assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), vascular damage by carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), and cardiac damage by left ventricular mass index. Results: Significantly lower values of the ratio of low to high frequency power (LF/HF) were found in the patients with moderate or severe eGFR (p-value < 0.001). Similarly, depressed values of indexes of the overall autonomic modulation on heart were found in patients with plaque compared to those with a normal IMT (p-value <0.05). These associations remained significant after adjustment for other factors known to contribute to the development of target organ damage, such as age. Moreover, depressed LF/HF was found also in patients with left ventricular hypertrophy but this association was not significant after adjustment for other factors. Conclusions: Depressed HRV appeared to be associated with vascular and renal TOD, suggesting the involvement of autonomic imbalance in the TOD. However, as the mechanisms by which abnormal autonomic balance may lead to TOD, and, particularly, to renal organ damage are not clearly known, further prospective studies with longitudinal design are needed to determine the association between HRV and the development of TOD

Performance of CERN LHC Main Dipole Magnets on the Test Bench From 2008 to 2016

Abstract: Throughout 2015 and 2016, the LHC is operated with a current in the main dipoles of 10980 A, equivalent to a proton-proton collision energy of 13 TeV in the center of mass. A total of 175 training quenches were needed in 2014 in the 1232 main dipole magnets installed in the LHC at CERN to reach operational conditions. Since 2008, a number of dipole magnets have been removed from the LHC and were, sometimes after repairs of nonconformities, retested in the CERN based SM18 magnet test facility up to ultimate current. Other magnets have been retested after long storage. The results confirm earlier findings that some magnets series are more prone to quenching than others after thermal cycle. The correlation between a short and long thermal cycle is under investigation. Special cases with many thermal cycles will be highlighted and a new magnet series, fully produced at CERN is introduced. Results of a quench heater fatigue test, assessing the long-term reliability of the quench heaters, will be given. The results of repairs following high internal splice resistances are discussed

Performance of the cold powered diodes and diode leads in the main magnets of the LHC

During quench tests in 2011 variations in resistance of an order of magnitude were found in the diode by-pass circuit of the main LHC magnets. An investigation campaign was started to understand the source, the occurrence and the impact of the high resistances. Many tests were performed offline in the SM18 test facility with a focus on the contact resistance of the diode to heat sink contact and the diode wafer temperature. In 2014 the performance of the diodes and diode leads of the main dipole bypass systems in the LHC was assessed during a high current qualification test. In the test a current cycle similar to a magnet circuit discharge from 11 kA with a time constant of 100 s was performed. Resistances of up to 600 μΩ have been found in the diode leads at intermediate current, but in general the high resistances decrease at higher current levels and no sign of overheating of diodes has been seen and the bypass circuit passed the test. In this report the performance of the diodes and in particular the contact resistances in the diode leads are analysed with available data acquired over more than 10 years from acceptance test until the main dipole training campaign in the LHC in 2015

VIPER: an industrially scalable high-current high-temperature superconductor cable

High-temperature superconductors (HTS) promise to revolutionize high-power applications like wind generators, DC power cables, particle accelerators, and fusion energy devices. A practical HTS cable must not degrade under severe mechanical, electrical, and thermal conditions; have simple, low-resistance, and manufacturable electrical joints; high thermal stability; and rapid detection of thermal runaway quench events. We have designed and experimentally qualified a vacuum pressure impregnated, insulated, partially transposed, extruded, and roll-formed (VIPER) cable that simultaneously satisfies all of these requirements for the first time. VIPER cable critical currents are stable over thousands of mechanical cycles at extreme electromechanical force levels, multiple cryogenic thermal cycles, and dozens of quench-like transient events. Electrical joints between VIPER cables are simple, robust, and demountable. Two independent, integrated fiber-optic quench detectors outperform standard quench detection approaches. VIPER cable represents a key milestone in next-step energy generation and transmission technologies and in the maturity of HTS as a technology