Mechanical Behavior of the Shielded HL-LHC Beam Screen During a Magnet Quench

In the framework of the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) project, larger and shielded beam screens will be installed in the beam pipe of the superconducting magnets of the insertion next to the ATLAS and CMS detectors. The beam screen is a complex assembly that guarantees the vacuum requirements while shielding the magnet cold mass from the induced heat loads. Such an assembly has to withstand high intensity electromagnetic forces induced during magnet quenches. The mechanical stability was verified in a dedicated quench test campaign performed at the magnet test station of CERN. Strain gauges, custom-made probes, and optical fibers were installed in the beam screen to measure deformations during a quench. Magnetic field measurements were also carried out by means of pick-up coils mounted within the assembly. The main outcomes of this work are the elastic behaviour of the beam screen after 52 quenches and a satisfactory agreement between measurements and simulations.

Automated summary

The installation of larger and shielded beam screens in the beam pipe of the superconducting magnets near the ATLAS and CMS detectors is part of the HL-LHC project framework. These screens are complex assemblies that ensure vacuum requirements and protect the magnet cold mass from induced heat loads. Mechanical stability was tested through a dedicated quench test campaign at CERN, with measurements of deformations and magnetic field. The results showed elastic behavior after 52 quenches and good agreement between measurements and simulations.