Use Cases

We work hand-in-hand with CERN equipment owners to develop state-of-the-art designs based on their specifications, agreeing with the Groups, who maintain the final responsibility of the equipment, the main design choices.

Mechanics for ultra clean environment

Overview

As part of the accelerator complex at CERN, RF cavities endorse the important role of accelerating (or manipulating in some specific cases) particle beams. RF cavities are almost always based on superconducting materials and works at cryogenic temperatures in UHV conditions. Alignment is as well of paramount importance: assembly of RF cavities requires particular care, considering that they are often grouped in cryomodules to reduce the operational costs.

Challenge

RF cavities are very sensitive to any particle deposited on internal surfaces. Undesired dirt will reduce drastically the available voltage and will increase radiation emission.

Assembly in Clean Room is essential to ensure the highest performances once in operation. Complexity of components require the development of specific tools.

Solutions

Our Design Office has long experience in designing suitable tools for Clean Room assembly. Alignment benches, lifting machinery, assembly tools are conceived with proper features to grant compatibility with low class Clean Rooms. Knowledge on manipulation of heavy components has been as well developed by our team.

Few images are related to the tools used for assembling the string of Crab cavities in ISO5 clean Room (aligned with precision of +/-0,2mm). Other images are related to the assembly tools for ISOLDE cryomodule in ISO5 clean Room (3,5 tons gantry and transfer table )

BENEFITS

Risk Mitigation: Provides a data-driven basis for scheduling and planning civil engineering works without beam instabilities of the LHC operations.

Safety Assurance: Ensures mechanical integrity of LHC components without beam dumps or beam instabilities.

Scientific Knowledge : Vibration thresholds at the surface were established to determine acceptable beam oscillations.

OUTCOME

This research enables CERN to proceed with essential HL-LHC Civil Engineering work such as the shafts excavation keeping the LHC in safe operation. The outcome of the study was crucial for schedule purpose.