The LHC Beam Dumping System (LBDS) is the only way to safely dispose of the LHC beams. The nominal LHC beam energy of 350 MJ is far higher than in any other accelerator in operation and could damage the LHC beyond repair in case of uncontrolled beam losses. The LHC Machine Protection System is designed to guarantee that the LHC ends ups into a safe state, in every circumstance. The reliability and safety attributes of the most important protection elements of the LHC were studied during the years 2003 – 2006, before first beams were injected. The resulting figures of safety showed that the LHC machine comfortably met the specifications and in particular for the LBDS that was estimated SIL4, with a number of 8 internal false beam dumps generated per year. These estimates were confirmed by the operational experience during the Run 1 period of the LHC (2009 – 2013). During this period, a large amount of events were collected, which now represent a valuable source of information on the LHC operation and its behaviour at failures.
The seminar reports on the detailed analysis performed in the last 6 months of the LHC operational data in the search of those failure modes that affected the LBDS. The presentation introduces the methodology of analysis, from the preliminary stage of data collection to the tools for the statistical validation of the reliability models. The analysis returns a comparison of the operational LBDS failure mode statistics versus the initial predictions. It also provides the estimate of the overall behavior of the LBDS in terms of number of false dumps and safety. The operational experience during Run 1 has led to some modifications to the beam dumping system foreseen for the present Long Shutdown. They will be highlighted, in the context of the reliability modelling of the LBDS.
Coffee / tea will be served after the seminar
ATS Seminars Organisers:
H. Burkhardt (BE) T. Stora (EN), G. De Rijk (TE)
