LS1 Report: the SMACC consolidation train is almost at its destination

At the LHC, the remaining replacement magnets are now installed in their correct positions and awaiting reconnection. The SMACC project continues to advance and three quarters of the interconnect W bellows are now open. In sector 5-6 almost all the SMACC consolidation activities have been completed and the bellows are being closed again ready for testing.

The area around the PSB beam dump.

The main part of the SMACC consolidation train is now completing the work on the interconnects in sector 6-7 and starting work in sector 7-8. In the LSS (Long Straight Sections), new equipment is being installed, such as the TCDQs at point 6 and collimators at point 1, and the first kicker at point 8 will be installed in September.

The R2E activities at the LHC are also progressing well. At point 5 the new cable ducts have been successfully drilled and the installation of the new safe rooms is in progress. An important milestone was reached in mid-August when the clearance of the magnet transport vehicle when travelling past the new safe rooms and the new rack locations at point 5 was checked and found to be sufficient. Now that this has been confirmed, the installation of the relocated equipment can start. Similarly, at point 7 the refurbished tunnel TZ76 is now ready to receive the racks, which are being moved out of the LHC tunnel.

In LSS1 of the SPS, all of the beam-line equipment has been removed to prepare for the replacement of the irradiated cables by EN/EL contractors, the last shielding elements are being removed and the first part of the cabling campaign will start in early September with the installation of the new fibre-optic cables. This will be followed by the main cable replacement campaign, which will start as planned in early October. The whole campaign will take place in an area of the SPS that has significant radiation dose levels and thanks to the meticulous preparation of the work the doses accumulated by the personnel involved have been very successfully minimised using the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) radiation protection procedures.

Above the PS tunnel the preliminary earthworks for the increased radiation shielding over septum 16 are complete and the piles, which will support the additional shielding, are being driven in around the tunnel. Underground at the PS the new doors giving access from Buildings 352 and 353 to the PS tunnel are now operational.

Finally, at the PSB, the old beam dump has been successfully removed (see image), and the work on the removal of the surrounding shielding blocks is in progress. The replacement dump will support the increased beam energy and intensity associated with the LIU-PSB upgrade project. The significant radiation dose levels in this zone necessitate painstaking preparation of the work and close monitoring by radiation protection experts. As in LSS1, and again thanks to this careful preparation, the personal dose levels are significantly lower that the initial estimates.

by Simon Baird