ISOLDE Technical Coordination Meeting (LS3)

Tuesday 24 Mar 2026, 14:00 → 15:00 Europe/Zurich

508/1-001 (CERN)

14:00 → 14:05 General news - Review of minutes

Speakers: Erwin Siesling (CERN), Joachim Vollaire (CERN)

minutes_2026_03_17_Draft.docx

minutes_2026_03_17_Draft.pdf

14:05 → 14:15 Safety matters

Speakers: Erwin Siesling (CERN), Hanne Heylen (CERN), James Devine (CERN), Miguel Lozano (CERN), Oscar Fjeld (CERN), Simon Mataguez (CERN)

14:15 → 14:20 IBDRS project - activities update

Speakers: Ana-Paula Bernardes (CERN), Joachim Vollaire (CERN)

IBDRS_reporting_S12_26.pdf

14:20 → 14:25 Ventilation primary areas upgrade

Speakers: Joachim Vollaire (CERN), Melania Averna (CERN)

Updates:

• Mechanical completion inside 197/2-401 by end of March
• Commissioning will start 1st April
• Waste removal inside 170/2-402 ongoing
• Turniquet -> awaiting for new gate pillar's modifiction ( end of April)

Piperack area:

• Vertical shielding 20 April - 2 weeks 
• HV cables reconnection early May

 

 

14:25 → 14:30 RILIS Laboratory upgrade project - activities update

Speakers: Carlotta Porzio (CERN), Katerina Chrysalidis (CERN), Laura Lambert (CERN), Sebastian Rothe (CERN)

patch panel.jpg

• STI
  • Dust protective plastic layer ongoing - SSP area complete
  • Patch panel fixed in position - if no objections, can leave in current position - more accessible!
• EN/EL
  
  • Cable on roof has been shifted
    • To design a small standing structure allowing remaining cables resting on roof to be suspended - design ongoing
  • Remaining lights and cables to be removed from inside lab thurs/fri this week
    • Temporary lights to be put in place to help with remaining works inside lab
  • Cable tray above GHM to be removed this thurs/fri
• Integration
  • Vincent marked on the floor around ISOLDE the Beam positions - these are now finalised in the integrations
• CV
  
  • Pipe inside lab
    • Require access to separator area in order to see where this pipe leads
  • Compressed air cut meeting planned for tomorrow
• SCE / ACE / HE
  • Opening of roof hatch 24.03 DELAYED
    • Problems with acess to hatches with PUMA attachment on crane
  • Scaffolding around SSP area will go up tomorrow
  • Dismantling of green cage starting on Monday
    • Removal of racks and transformer
    • Removal of survey points in GLM/GHM confirmed with BE/GM
    • VIC for the removal of the green cage planned for Friday.
• Safety
  •  
• Planning
  • Weekly coordination meeting between groups involved every monday at 9am - Please contact Laura/Kati if you have not had an invite but would like to attend

14:30 → 14:40 Machine related activities in the experimental hall

Speakers: Erwin Siesling (CERN), Simon Mataguez (CERN)

Platform EPC:

• Interconnections racks / patch panels ongoing. Existing HT cable bundles being pulled up. Modification bracket under vertical cable tray: Oscar
• Modification of false floor: leave certain width in front of remaining blue racks (remaining cables). Brianstorming with Oscar.
• Modification passage floor (new beams and metal floor) to be installed at the end of cable campaign.
• Expected delay 3 weeks.

 

REX/HIE ISOLDE preparations CM1 transport:

• All Cryo services dismounted on the tunnel roof and top-plate (removal flexibles, structure, protection burst discs, etc.). 
• XLN03 & 02 vacuum chambers disconnected. TPs removed (point of gravity).
• BI cables disconnection ongoing. Solution for storage (palette/on roof) being worked on (BI).
• Thursday/Friday 26/27 March: Handling intertanks XLN02 & 03 from machine onto palette / roof. 
  
  
• CM1 Radiological aspects (mainly for the work in SM18): List of isotopes seen by HIE ISOLDE 2015-2025 provided by OP (Simon, Alberto) to RP (Fabio)
• Meeting (SRF, RP, OP, TSO) held Mon 23/03: 
  wk 13: List of identified isotopes seen by HIE ISOLDE back to OP (Fabio)
  wk 14: Response OP on intensities of these isotopes and estimation of losses in CM1
  wk 15: estimation RP (Fabio) on what to expect in terms of contamination and activation of CM1 -> Philippe Bertreix HSE/RP transport aspects for the authorities
  
  
  

Info tunnel roof opening & transport CM1 -> SM18:

• Week 16 (13-17 April):
  Opening/closing Tunnel roof & CM1 handling in the hall - handling tools and vehicles (cherry picker, etc.), heavy use of the overhead crane
  Wall Jura side to be clear of cupboards and toolboxes (access wall top side) -> VITO been informed (Magda, Mark, Nikolay)
  CM1 will be standing from 15 - ~23 April in the handling zone next to the yellow RP buffer zone: vibration and inclination sensors + wrapping for transport
• Week 17 (20- 24 April):
  Transport CM1 from ISOLDE 170 to SM18 - special transport (truck & trailer) arriving ~23/24 April (tbc). Heavy use of the overhead crane during handling in the 170 hall (CM1 onto pendulum/trailer).
  SAS and handling zone to be empty (users will be informed). Parkingt to be empty (IBDRS project been informed)
• RILIS planning kept in the loop (Carlotta Porzio), ISOLTRAP planning kept in the loop (Arthur Jaries)

Planning REX/HIE:  170 REX HIE planning | Document 3383102 (v.1)

ISOLDE cooling water:

• Cooling water stopped since no load
• Requirements:
  - REXEBIS: Not until after summer
  - CRIS mid-April till mid-May (for lasers and TP's) -> chilled water/AC in the laser room 508 will stay available.
• SRF amplifier circuits (B199) have been purged (Alexandre/contractor)

 

Vacuum pumping / ventilation:

• For the investigation at EBIS to find an assumed leak its vacuum system will need to be restarted (Guillermo): When will the ventilation system be back operational so the primaries can be restarted? (resume mid-April?)

 

Work in he 170 HT room:

• Julien Parra-Lopez: Replacement of the GPS and HRS target heating power supplies. Request for handling in week 16 of a few pallettes up to the HT room: Discussed with transport. Will be coordinated around the CM1 activities (roof opening/closing and CM1 handling in the hall).

 

Beamlines:

• RC6 EN/EL cabling work has started. Estimation 1 week+. No clash with other activities. VIC done.

 

HRS field control and measurement:

• Request from Marco Buzio TE/MSC to house a full 19" rack. Proposal in ex-entrance 170 R-020 with cables through existing passage (if fits with Ar/N2 and AC tubes).
  Discussed at the ICL meeting (19/03). Other position in the new rack next to the new HRS Separator door was brought up but doesn't seem to be an option in the end (CAO beam switching occupation, cable length HRS probes, TE/MSC requires full rack space).

14:40 → 14:45 Experiments related activities in the experimental hall

Speakers: Erwin Siesling (CERN), Hanne Heylen (CERN), Oscar Fjeld (CERN)

ISOLTRAP:

• Platform replacement preparations: VITO laser tube (high section) and tall pillar removal to be organised. VITO has been informed (Mark, Magda, Nikolay)
• Emergency wall cutting/carrotage: VIC scheduled for 15/04. Wall cutting/core drilling scheduled for week 18 (27-30 April) (Severin/contractor). Crane needs a lock-out during 3-4 days (after CM1 handling and in line with ISOLTRAP activities but RILIS activities to be checked)
• Preparations mezzanine side done: Ready for CE work apart from cable tray bracket and pipe holders on the ISOLTRAP side.
• This week clash: ISOLTRAP LHe dewar handling on Wedn 25/03 9-11h30 (cannot be postponed: critical level) clashes with crane lock-out for scaffolding installation at GLM/GHM for RILIS project. Work not at height (?).
  Solution to be confirmed: Crane remote stays with EN/HE transport(Yann) from Tues 16h - Wedn 16h (during scaffolding installation). Taking Technical Note in account (paragraph 3.5 on ISOLDE) GESTION DES COACTIVITES Interférences moyens de travail en hauteur / ponts roulants. https://edms.cern.ch/document/3279995/1.0

 

ISS:

• Connection to diesel network (James Devine) -> today 24 March
  
  
  Beamlines:
•  
• Reminder of compressed air issue at GHM (hissing sound - mail Laura 20/3)
  • Can the compressed air be stopped at GHM and kept at GLM
• VITO is preparing move of magnet to 275, timing will be adapted taking into account other hall activities
• VITO move of equipment
  • Clarify duration and extend
• ISOLTRAP platform
  • Wall cutting emergency windows
• Proposal to meet next week to check general status of the hall and see what needs removal before cryomodule
• PUMA - drilling of holes in the floor

 

 

14:45 → 14:50 AOBs

----CE-1_0833_0003_1_A_EARTH_WORK.pdf

site.jpg

508/170 side acces:

• modification to the Technical Gallery GT833 entrance at the corner of Route Einstein / Route Rutherford needs to be carried out which will require the full area of the 3+1 parking spots but worse: block acces to 508 (and the loading area of 170) for 5-6 weeks (!). (access long new water tubes to replace the old infrastructure in the Tech Galleries) (Mirko Pojer)
• unfortunately a solution of flattening the grass and cover with gravel keeping access has been rejected (Florent Legay)
• period when this work could be done? (after 197 power supply room modifications / Ventilation room installation work / EPC platform, etc..)

14:50 → 14:55 Planned visits

Speakers: Hanne Heylen (CERN), Katerina Chrysalidis (CERN)

From K. Chrysalidis

- on 24th March 2026 we met with Samuel Fasel, Ana-Paula Bernardes, BE DSO Andreas Herty, Benedetta Bianchi and Miguel Lozano (TSO 170) to discuss options for decabling ISOLDE

- many racks in old control room have purple marked tape (so marked for removal), Miguel noted down the racks and will try to identify the rack owners to inquire about the cables and try to get an idea where cables are going to

- Samuel is checking if the cables were, as requested, added to the list that was created during the RILIS survey -> we will try to find out if they are in the cablotheke

- in the RILIS area, which will be free in summer, we will pass as many of the cables as possible through ducts instead of keeping them on cable trays. This will make future removal easier. 

- Samuel could have a team available end of 2027 for some removal BUT this is risky as cables could get damaged and then we risk the start-up of the facility

- ideally some more surveying can happen though, as cables pass over the GPS bunker as well and this is not accessible during running periods

- budget needs to be found and most likely a project needs to be created for the next LS to do a proper decabling campaign -> either all equipment owners have to individually fund the removal of their cables OR “the facility” (= BE, SY, EP) has to look into funding