Loss and dynamic magnetic field measurements in LHC dipoles

Knowledge of AC loss and dynamic magnetic field distortion in the main LHC dipoles is both important for the assessment of the accelerator performance and providing insight into the properties of assembled magnets. We measured the loss due to the current cycling in a few 1-meter long model dipoles, 15-meter long dipole prototypes and pre-series magnets. As expected the loss depends linearly on the rate of the current change. From the slope of this dependence, the contact resistance between the strands of the opposite layers of the cable, R/sub c/, was evaluated for the inner winding of the dipole. We discuss the method to estimate the R/sub c/ value in the outer winding. The R/sub c/ value has been also derived independently from measurements of the magnetic field. For this, the ramp rate dependent component of the main field as well as of the harmonics has been measured. The main magnetic field measurements were performed using both stationary coils and Hall probes. Rotating coils were used to perform the harmonic measurements.     

Correlations between field quality and geometry of components in the collared coils of the LHC main dipoles

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) (1995), a proton-proton superconducting accelerator, will consist of about 8400 superconducting magnet units, all operating in superfluid helium at a temperature of 1.9 K. The design of the superconducting main dipole magnets for the LHC is guided by the requirement of an extremely high field quality in the magnet aperture which is mainly defined by the layout of the superconducting coil and the position of the conductors. In order to avoid conductor movements within the magnet cross-section, the superconducting coils are held in place by surrounding stainless steel collars. In this paper, we review the dependence of field harmonics in the LHC main dipoles on dimensions of the hardware components of the collared coils. An analysis of the dimensional measurements of these components which are used in the collared coils produced so far is given. Sensitivity tables which are worked out through a coupled magneto-static model give the variation of the multipoles on collars, copper wedge dimensions and cable geometry. A Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the effects of possible errors on the multipoles.     

Deformations and displacements of the LHC superconducting dipoles induced by standard and nonstandard operational modes

A full-scale and fully-instrumented working model of the LHC lattice cell has been tested at CERN between March and December 2002. Aside of the current, pressure and temperature sensors controlled by an industrial supervision system, a novel device has been set to monitor magnet positions with respect to the surrounding cryostat. The series of operating modes to test cryogenics, current leads and quench recovery electronics offered the chance to investigate potentially harmful deformations of the superconducting structure. In this paper, we present a survey of displacements and deformations experienced by the LHC cell magnets during thermal cycles, current ramps and resistive transitions. Although the system complexity prevented from complete modeling, a preliminary phenomena explanation is given.     

Shape analysis of the LHC pre-series dipoles

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive analysis, from the geometric point of view, of the pre-series LHC dipoles. The progressive change of the imposed magnet shape has been monitored from the first assembly stage until after the cold test. Data concerning the error on sagitta, extremity positions and sextupolar corrector positions are provided for the pre-series magnets. Implications of aligning out-of-tolerance dipoles by the extremities are also discussed.     

Quench protection of the Fermilab-built LHC inner triplet quadrupole MQXB

High-gradient quadrupoles (MQXB) are being developed at Fermilab within the framework of the US-LHC Accelerator project for the LHC interaction regions. These 5.5-m-long magnets have a single 70-mm aperture and operate in superfluid helium at a peak gradient of 215 T/m. Magnet quench protection is provided by quench heaters installed on the outer surface of the coil. This paper reports the results of quench protection studies on the first full length MQXB prototype (MQXP01). The measurements from these tests as well as results from the 1.9-m-long model magnet program are combined with computer generated quench simulations to predict the MQXB performance under LHC operating conditions.     

Quench performance and mechanical behavior of the first Fermilab-built prototype high gradient quadrupole for the LHC interaction regions

As part of the US LHC program to provide high gradient superconducting quadrupoles for the LHC interaction regions, a 5.5 meter long prototype magnet has been built and tested horizontally in a production type cryostat at Fermilab. This prototype magnet was used to validate the mechanical and magnetic design, production fabrication and assembly tooling. The first prototype magnet has met the LHC requirements of operating at 215 T/m with excellent magnetic field harmonics. This paper summarizes the test results of this magnet, including quench tests and mechanical behavior over several thermal cycles.     

Accurate calculation of fringe fields in the LHC main dipoles

The ROXIE program developed at CERN for the design and optimization of the superconducting LHC magnets has been recently extended in a collaboration with the University of Stuttgart, Germany, with a field computation method based on the coupling between the boundary element (BEM) and the finite element (FEM) technique. This avoids the meshing of the coils and the air regions, and avoids the artificial far field boundary conditions. The method is therefore specially suited for the accurate calculation of fields in the superconducting magnets in which the field is dominated by the coil. We will present the fringe field calculations in both 2d and 3d geometries to evaluate the effect of connections and the cryostat on the field quality and the flux density to which auxiliary bus-bars are exposed     

Principles developed for the construction of the high performance, low-cost superconducting LHC corrector magnets

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) needs more than 6000 superconducting corrector magnets. These must be sufficiently powerful, have enough margin, be compact and of low cost. The development of the 11 types of magnets was spread over several years and included the magnetic and mechanical design as well as prototype building and testing. It gradually led to the systematic application of a number of interesting construction principles that allow to realize the above mentioned goals. The paper describes the techniques developed and presently used in practically all the LHC corrector magnets ranging from dipoles to dodecapoles.     

Quench protection studies of LHC interaction region quadrupoles atFermilab

High gradient quadrupoles are being developed by the US-LHC Accelerator Project for the LHC interaction region inner triplets. Protection strip heaters are the primary means of protecting these magnets against excessively high coil temperatures and coil voltage to ground as a result of a spontaneous quench. The main objective of the quench protection R&D program is to optimize the heater performance within the constraints of the LHC heater power supply and quench detection system. The results of these studies on several two meter long model magnets are presented     

Influence of mechanical tolerances on field quality in the LHC maindipoles

We evaluate the influence of mechanical tolerances in the field quality in the LHC dipoles. We show that the most relevant effect is due to tolerances on the coil and on the internal part of the collars. The sensitivities of the field error multipoles on the mechanical tolerances are worked out using a finite element model of the dipole cross section. A Monte Carlo method is used to simulate the overall effect of both collar and coil tolerances on field quality. Correlation between random multipoles is worked out, and a comparison with the target table of the LHC field errors is given     

Coil size and geometric field quality in short model dipoles forLHC

We have measured the magnetic field at room temperature and at 1.8 K on more than twenty, 1-m long, single aperture LHC superconducting dipole models. The magnets feature either a 5-block coil geometry or the baseline 6-block geometry foreseen for the LHC. Comparison of warm and cold measurements show that the coil geometry is essentially unchanged during cooldown. We have therefore used mechanical measurements taken on the coil and collars during assembly to estimate the azimuthal coil length. Based on these measurements we show here that the sensitivity of allowed harmonics on coil size is in good agreement with the prediction obtained from the numerical model used for designing the LHC magnets     

Status of the production of the LHC superconducting corrector magnets

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will be equipped with a large number (6400) of superconducting corrector magnets. These magnets are powerful, with typical peak fields of 3-4 T on the coils, but at the same time compact and of low cost. There are many types: sextupoles, octupoles and decapoles to correct the main dipole field, dipoles, quadrupoles, sextupoles and octupoles to condition the proton beams and several nested correctors from dipole to dodecapole in the inner triplets. The sizes vary from 6 kg, 110 mm long, nested decapole-octupole spool pieces to 1800 kg, 1.4 m long, trim quadrupoles. The fabrication of the 11 different types of magnets is assured by 10 contracts placed at 6 firms, two of which are in India. A number of magnets are now in series production, others in their pre-series production. The paper describes the present state of the fabrication and the testing of these magnets.     

Results of 3-dimensional structural FE-modeling of the coilend-regions of the LHC main dipoles

The transition region between the straight part and the ends of the coils of the LHC model and prototype dipole magnets are often identified as the origin of training quenches. In order to study how the discontinuities in the material properties of these regions affect coil pre-stress and possibly gain more insight in the quench behavior, a program was set up at CERN to analyze by 3D-FEM these particular regions. The ACCEL team, who performed a similar analysis for the main quadrupoles of the Superconducting Supercollider SSC, is entrusted with this program. In this paper we report on the results of 3D-modeling and analysis of the coil return end region, including the complete coil mass, of a 1-m single bore model magnet. This magnet represents all relevant features of the “two-in-one” LHC main dipole design concerning the winding configuration, the collar pack, the yoke, and the outer shell representing the He-vessel. The transition region between coil ends and straight section is modeled by slicing the magnet down to individual collar laminations per elementary level. The two-layer winding pack is represented with all individual conductor blocks, wedges, end spacers, and the interlayer spacer. Results will be presented for load cases with pre-stress after assembly at room temperature, after cool-down, and under operation at maximum current. Critical stress locations were identified in the transition into the pole free section of the magnet and in the bent part. Shimming of the coils, as well as impact from material choices and suitable alternatives are discussed     

Production follow-up of the LHC main dipoles through magnetic measurements at room temperature

In this paper, we review the tools used for controlling the production of the LHC main dipoles through warm magnetic measurements. For the collared coil measurements, control limits are based on the statistics relative to the pre-series production. For the cold mass, the difference between collared coil and cold mass is considered, allowing a very stringent test. In both cases, measurements are split in straight part average, variations and coil ends contributions. Two different alarm levels exist in case the measured field is out of limits. The analysis can be carried out at the manufacturer and allows detection of anomalies in the measured magnetic field. These can be either due to wrong measurements or caused by assembly defects. Techniques used to work out information on the magnet assembly from the field harmonics are outlined. We summarize the experience gathered on about 180 collared coils and 120 cold masses, pointing out the bad cases and investigating the reliability of the measurements.     

Modeling of Quench Limit for Steady State Heat Deposits in LHC Magnets

A quench, the transition of a conductor from the superconducting to the normal conducting state, occurs irreversibly in the accelerator magnets if one of the three parameters: temperature, magnetic field or current density exceeds a critical value. Energy deposited in the superconductor by the particle beams provokes quenches detrimental for the accelerator operation. In particular if particles impacting on the vacuum chamber and their secondary showers depose energy in the magnet coils. The large hadron collider (LHC) nominal beam intensity is 3.2 ldr 10¹⁴ protons. A quench occurs if a fraction of the order of 10⁷ protons per second is lost locally. A network model is used to simulate the thermodynamic behavior of the magnets. The heat flow in the network model was validated with measurements performed in the CERN magnet test facility. A steady state heat flow was introduced in the coil by using the quench heaters implemented in the LHC magnets. The value of the heat source current is determined by the network model and the magnet coil current which is required to quench the coil is predicted accordantly. The measured and predicted value comparison is regarded as a sensitive test of the method.     

Construction and qualification of the pre-series MQM superconducting quadrupoles for the LHC insertions

The LHC insertions will be equipped with individually powered MQM superconducting quadrupoles, produced in three versions with magnetic lengths of 2.4 m, 3.4 m, and 4.8 m. The quadrupoles feature a 56 mm aperture coil, designed on the basis of an 8.8 mm wide Rutherford-type NbTi cable for a nominal gradient of 200 T/m at 1.9 K and 5390 A. A total of 96 quadrupoles are in production in Tesla Engineering, UK. In this report we describe the construction of the pre-series MQM quadrupoles and present the results of the qualification tests.     

Fabrication of the pre-series wide aperture superconducting quadrupoles for the LHC insertions

Individually powered superconducting quadrupoles with a coil bore of 70 mm will be installed in the LHC insertions, in areas where increased geometrical acceptance and improved field quality are required. The quadrupoles feature a four-layer coil, designed on the basis of two graded 8.3 mm wide Rutherford-type NbTi cables. The magnets have a magnetic length of 3.4 m and a nominal gradient of 160 T/m at 4.5 K and 3610 A. A total of 26 quadrupoles are in production at ACCEL Instruments (Germany). In this report, we present the experience in fabrication of the pre-series magnets and the results of the initial qualification tests.     

Statistical analysis of conductor motion in LHC superconducting dipole magnets

Premature training quenches are usually caused by the transient energy release within the magnet coil as it is energized. The dominant disturbances originate in cable motion and produce observable rapid variation in voltage signals called spikes. The experimental set up and the raw data treatment to detect these phenomena are briefly recalled. The statistical properties of different features of spikes are presented like for instance the maximal amplitude, the energy, the duration and the time correlation between events. The parameterization of the mechanical activity of magnets is addressed. The mechanical activity of full-scale prototype and first preseries LHC dipole magnets is analyzed and correlations with magnet manufacturing procedures and quench performance are established. The predictability of the quench occurrence is discussed and examples presented.     

Quench analysis of a superconducting magnet with 98 coils connected in series

A novel insertion device for electron storage rings called the MAX-Wiggler has been constructed at MAX-lab. The MAX-Wiggler is a cold bore superconducting wiggler magnet with 47 3.5-T poles and a period length of 61 mm aimed for the production of X-rays at the 1.5-GeV electron storage ring MAX-II at MAX-lab. The MAX-Wiggler consists of 98 racetrack coils connected in series in the superconducting magnet and the total stored magnetic energy at the nominal maximum field strength of 3.5 T is 48 kJ. This paper describes the quench analysis of the magnet. Several protection schemes have been evaluated, such as an external dump resistor and safety switch or subdivision of the series of coils into sections with shunt resistors or silicon diodes in parallel to each group of coils in a section. It has been found that the most suitable protection scheme, in order to prevent the superconducting coils from getting overheated, is subdivision with a shunt path containing silicon diodes operating at liquid helium temperatures. The MAX-Wiggler has been commissioned and it has survived the quenches occurring during the initial training of the superconducting coils.     

Development of superconducting tuning quadrupole corrector (MQT) prototypes for the LHC

The main quadrupoles of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) are connected in families of focusing and defocusing magnets. In order to make tuning corrections in the machine a number of quadrupole corrector magnets (designated MQT) are necessary. These 56 mm diameter aperture magnets have to be compact, with a maximum length of 395 mm and a coil radial thickness of 5 to 7.5 mm, while generating a minimum field gradient of 110 T/m. Two design options have been explored, both using the "counter-winding" system developed at CERN for the fabrication of low cost corrector coils. The first design, with the poles composed of two double-pancake coils, each counter-wound using a single wire, superposed to create 4-layer coils, was developed and built by ACCEL Instruments GmbH. A second design where single coils were counter-wound using a 3-wire ribbon to obtain 6-layer coils was developed at CERN. This paper describes the two designs and reports on the performance of the prototypes during testing.