Speaker
Description
In superconducting magnets of particle accelerators like HL-LHC, FCC-hh and a muon collider, shielding is required to reduce the dose absorbed by the magnet materials. A goal of the CERN Polymer Laboratory irradiation study is to increase the acceptable dose limit of the insulation systems beyond the limit of about 30-50 MGy that is presently assumed for shielding design.
Irradiations are performed with 60Co gamma rays, 24 GeV/c protons, and with mixed neutron gamma irradiation at a reactor and a spallation source. To assess the effect of the irradiation temperature, irradiations of identical materials are performed in ambient air, in inert gas, and in liquid helium.
The most important functional property of an insulation system is it resistance against electrical breakdown. Since dielectric failures are often caused by prior mechanical failures of the insulation system, the irradiation induced degradation of the mechanical properties of the insulation system is a main concern. Methods for determining dielectric and mechanical irradiation damage threshold values will be discussed.
References
[1] https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/16/9/1287
[2] https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/16/3/407
