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mfb submitted a new PF Insights post
LHC Part 2: Commissioning
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LHC Part 2: Commissioning
Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.
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The primary absorber itself is a set of steel-encased, water-cooled carbon slugs, each about two feet across. Additional concrete and iron shielding surrounds this. When the beam is dumped, it is swept across the face of the carbon so that the load is spread around.Greg Bernhardt said:What are these special "special beam dumps" made of?
Nothing.ChrisVer said:what would stop the muons from entering the beam pipes while the experiment is ongoing?
About 150 MW, plus 20 MW for the experiments.Jimster41 said:Also, when operating does it eat a lot of power.?
Not necessarily. If nothing goes wrong the radiation is higher than normal, but most places should not be deadly (assuming you don't stay there for years). If something goes really wrong, in the worst case (which is very unlikely and never happened so far) it can kill you instantly.Jimster41 said:The tube tunnel would be deadly place to be under operation right?
ChrisVer said:what would stop the muons from entering the beam pipes while the experiment is ongoing? Wouldn't they interact with the highly energetic protons?
Depends on the definition of "emergency". Dumps due to safety issues in one of the systems are common. Sometimes (and especially during commissioning) the beams get dumped because they are not needed any more, or the machine has to be empty for the next test.rollingstein said:How often has a beam been emergency dumped so far? Was it always the radiation detectors that triggered this?
In the beam pipe: 10-8 to 10-9 Pa, or 13 to 14 orders of magnitude below atmospheric pressure, it depends on the position. There are other vacuum systems for insulation of the magnets and other parts.rollingstein said:What is the vacuum level during operation?
rollingstein said:How often has a beam been emergency dumped so far?
Vanadium 50 said:That includes not just things like the radiation monitors going into alarm, but also things like the radiation monitors being turned off - if we go blind, even for a moment, the beam is dumped.
During operating there is no one in the accelerator tunnels. And that would be orders of magnitude too low to trigger radiation monitors.rollingstein said:I hope no technician that has had a thyroid scan goes near the detectors. :)
That's a lot less power than I was expecting! About one large frame turbine's worth? A big smelter probably isn't much less than that. I guess it's a great example of the hard to grasp relationship between scales of size and energy involved with looking way back and "down" into stuff. I had been intuitively picturing staggering amounts of power, but the 2 cm tube, and that relatively run of the mill power consumption, has adjusted that a lot. Very interesting.mfb said:There is no one close to the machine when it is operating, but I guess you would mainly hear the cooling systems (not so many fans, mainly liquid cooling). The beam itself does not make any sound.
Dumping it could induce some thermal stress in the beam dumps, no idea if that makes noise.
About 150 MW, plus 20 MW for the experiments.Jimster41 said:Also, when operating does it eat a lot of power.?
CERN does not operate a power plant, so they certainly have to coordinate that with the grid operators. Most of the power consumption is permanent or with long ramping times, however.
Not necessarily. If nothing goes wrong the radiation is higher than normal, but most places should not be deadly (assuming you don't stay there for years). If something goes really wrong, in the worst case (which is very unlikely and never happened so far) it can kill you instantly.Jimster41 said:The tube tunnel would be deadly place to be under operation right?
To the LHC Machine Operators: Hope you guys are getting paid well.At one point, there was an unplanned connection between an electrical line and ground. ... The machine operators studied it in detail and then decided to take a risk: send a large current through this connection to burn it away.
The purpose of the LHC Part 2 Commissioning is to test and fine-tune the functionality of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) after a period of maintenance and upgrades. This process ensures that the LHC is functioning properly and can safely operate at its maximum energy levels.
The duration of the Commissioning process can vary depending on the extent of upgrades and maintenance needed, but it typically takes several months to complete. This includes various tests and procedures that must be performed to ensure the LHC is ready for full operation.
During the Commissioning process, a variety of tests are performed to check the functionality and safety of the LHC. These include powering up and testing individual components, testing the cryogenic systems, and conducting magnet tests to ensure they are operating at the required field strength.
The Commissioning process involves a team of scientists, engineers, and technicians from various institutions and organizations, including CERN and the collaborating research institutes. They work together to ensure that the LHC is ready for its next phase of operation.
The LHC will be fully operational once the Commissioning process is completed and all tests have been successfully passed. This typically takes a few months after the start of the Commissioning process, but the exact timeline can vary depending on any unexpected issues that may arise.