Within the scope of the High-Luminosity LHC project, the collaboration between CERN and U.S. LARP is developing new low-$\beta$ quadrupoles using the Nb3Sn superconducting technology for the upgrade of the LHC interaction regions. The magnet support structure of the first short model was designed, and two units were fabricated and tested at CERN and at LBNL. The structure provides the preload to the collar-coil subassembly by an arrangement of outer aluminum shells pretensioned with water-pressurized bladders. For the mechanical qualification of the structure and the assembly procedure, superconducting coils were replaced with solid aluminum 'dummy coils,' and the structure was preloaded at room temperature and then cooled-down to 77 K. The mechanical behavior of the magnet structure was monitored with the use of strain gauges installed on the aluminum shells, the dummy coils, and the axial preload system. This paper reports on the outcome of the assembly and the cooldown tests with dummy coils, which were performed at CERN and at LBNL, and presents the strain gauge measurements compared with the 3-D finite-element model predictions.

As part of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) Luminosity upgrade program, the U.S.-LHC Accelerator Research Program collaboration and CERN are working together to design and build a 150-mm aperture Nb3Sn quadrupole for the LHC interaction regions. A first series of 1.5-m-long coils was fabricated and assembled in a first short model. A detailed visual inspection of the coils was carried out to investigate cable dimensional changes during heat treatment and the position of the windings in the coil straight section and in the end region. The analyses allow identifying a set of design changes which, combined with a fine tune of the cable geometry and a field quality optimization, were implemented in a new second-generation coil design. In this paper, we review the main characteristics of the first generation coils, describe the modification in coil layout and discuss their impact on parts design and magnet analysis.

The U.S. LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP) and CERN are combining efforts for the HiLumi-LHC upgrade to design and fabricate 150-mm-aperture interaction region quadrupoles with a nominal gradient of 130 T/m using Nb3Sn. To successfully produce the necessary long MQXF triplets, the HiLumi-LHC collaboration is systematically reducing risk and design modification by heavily relying upon the experience gained from the successful 120-mm-aperture LARP HQ program. First-generation MQXF short (MQXFS) coils were predominately a scaling up of the HQ quadrupole design, allowing comparable cable expansion during Nb3Sn formation heat treatment and increased insulation fraction for electrical robustness. A total of 13 first-generation MQXFS coils were fabricated between LARP and CERN. Systematic differences in coil size, coil alignment symmetry, and coil length contraction during heat treatment are observed and likely due to slight variances in tooling and insulation/cable systems. Analysis of coil cross sections indicate that field-shaping wedges and adjacent coil turns are systematically displaced from the nominal location and the cable is expanding less than nominally designed. A second-generation MQXF coil design seeks to correct the expansion and displacement discrepancies by increasing insulation and adding adjustable shims at the coil pole and midplanes to correct allowed magnetic field harmonics.

In high field magnet applications, Nb3Sn coils undergo a heat treatment step after winding. During this stage, coils radially expand and longitudinally contract due to the Nb3Sn phase change. In order to prevent residual strain from altering superconducting performances, the tooling must provide the adequate space for these dimensional changes. The aim of this paper is to understand the behavior of cable dimensions during heat treatment and to provide estimates of the space to be accommodated in the tooling for coil expansion and contraction. This paper summarizes measurements of dimensional changes on strands, single Rutherford cables, cable stacks, and coils performed between 2013 and 2015. These samples and coils have been performed within a collaboration between CERN and the U.S. LHC Accelerator Research Program to develop Nb3Sn quadrupole magnets for the HiLumi LHC. The results are also compared with other high field magnet projects.

Large-aperture, high-field, Nb3Sn quadrupoles are being developed by the U.S. LHC accelerator research program (LARP) for the High luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HiLumi-LHC). The first 1 m long, 120 mm aperture prototype, HQ01, was assembled with various sets of coils and tested at LBNL and CERN. Based on these results, several design modifications have been introduced to improve the performance for HQ02, the latest model. From the field quality perspective, the most relevant improvements are a cored cable for reduction of eddy current effects, and more uniform coil components and fabrication processes. This paper reports on the magnetic measurements of HQ02 during recent testing at the Vertical Magnet Test Facility at Fermilab. Results of baseline measurements performed with a new multilayer circuit board probe are compared with the earlier magnet. An analysis of probe and measurement system performance is also presented.

The U.S. LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP) has been developing Nb3Sn quadrupoles of increasing performance for the high-luminosity upgrade of the large hadron collider. The 120-mm aperture high-field quadrupole (HQ) models are the last step in the RD phase supporting the development of the new IR Quadrupoles (MQXF). Three series of HQ coils were fabricated and assembled in a shell-based support structure, progressively optimizing the design and fabrication process. The final set of coils consistently applied the optimized design solutions and was assembled in the HQ03a model. This paper reports a summary of the HQ03a test results, including training, mechanical performance, field quality, and quench studies.

The test of the first LARP (LHC Accelerator Research Program) Long Quadrupole is a significant milestone toward the development of Nb3Sn quadrupoles for LHC (Large Hadron Collider) Luminosity Upgrades. These 3.7-m long magnets, scaled from the 1-m long Technological Quadrupoles, are used to develop our capabilities to fabricate and assemble Nb3Sn coils and structures with lengths comparable to accelerator magnet dimensions. The long quadruples have a target gradient of 200 T/m in a 90-mm aperture. Pre-stress and support are provided by an Al-shell-based structure pre-loaded using bladders and keys. The coils were fabricated at BNL and FNAL, the hell-based structure was designed and assembled at LBNL, the test is performed at FNAL. In this paper we present the final steps of the development of the first model (LQS01), several upgrades to the test facility, the test results of witness cables, and the short sample limit © 2006 IEEE.

After the successful test of the first long Nb 3Sn quadrupole (LQS01) the US LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP, a collaboration of BNL, FNAL, LBNL and SLAC) is assessing training memory, reproducibility, and other accelerator quality features of long Nb 3Sn quadrupole magnets. LQS01b (a reassembly of LQS01 with more uniform and higher pre-stress) was subjected to a full thermal cycle and reached the previous plateau of 222 T/m at 4.5 K in two quenches. A new set of four coils, made of the same type of conductor used in LQS01 (RRP 54/61 by Oxford Superconducting Technology), was assembled in the LQS01 structure and tested at 4.5 K and lower temperatures. The new magnet (LQS02) reached the target gradient (200 T/m) only at 2.6 K and lower temperatures, at intermediate ramp rates. The preliminary test analysis, here reported, showed a higher instability in the limiting coil than in the other coils of LQS01 and LQS02. © 2011 IEEE.

Chapter 3 in High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) : Preliminary Design Report. The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is one of the largest scientific instruments ever built. Since opening up a new energy frontier for exploration in 2010, it has gathered a global user community of about 7,000 scientists working in fundamental particle physics and the physics of hadronic matter at extreme temperature and density. To sustain and extend its discovery potential, the LHC will need a major upgrade in the 2020s. This will increase its luminosity (rate of collisions) by a factor of five beyond the original design value and the integrated luminosity (total collisions created) by a factor ten. The LHC is already a highly complex and exquisitely optimised machine so this upgrade must be carefully conceived and will require about ten years to implement. The new configuration, known as High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), will rely on a number of key innovations that push accelerator technology beyond its present limits. Among these are cutting-edge 11-12 tesla superconducting magnets, compact superconducting cavities for beam rotation with ultra-precise phase control, new technology and physical processes for beam collimation and 300 metre-long high-power superconducting links with negligible energy dissipation. The present document describes the technologies and components that will be used to realise the project and is intended to serve as the basis for the detailed engineering design of HL-LHC.