02 04 07 LHC Delays Expected
Hmmm...was it just odd coincidence that we post on the ATLAS detector at the LHC only to learn later that night of a significant failure with the beam line? In fact, the event in question happened a few days earlier but news is just now getting around that CERN has a big problem on their hands - as does Fermilab, after the serious (catastrophic?) failure of a three quadrupole magnet set during a high pressure test. As has become the disturbing trend in high energy physics, the latest accelerators and detectors have become multi-country/multi-lab endeavors due to the inability of individual countries to finance these projects on their own. And thus Fermilab is on the hot seat with CERN pointing figures at them because these were magnets designed and assembled in the US. Fermilab has delivered nine of these quadrupole magnets but is also partially on the hook for 18 additional magnets designed and tested by the Japanese lab KEK and final assembled by Fermilab prior to delivery at the LHC.Initial indications are that there may have been a design oversight which failed to account for asymmetric loads which develop in the support structure holding the magnets inside their super cooling cryostat during a quench. [A quench is when a superconducting magnet suddenly goes 'normal' and releases a large amount of energy in a very short time.] While the engineering plans were reviewed by all parties involved, including CERN, nobody seemed to consider this issue. In addition, Fermilab only tested their magnets individually and not as part of the final triplet assembly (probably due to costs if we were to guess).
That the problem appears to be with the support structure and not the magnets themselves is a good thing. But it is hard to believe this will not result in at least a many month, if not year or more, delay for the LHC. Even if the existing structures can be used with only minor modification, engineering reviews will need to be made and modifications and testing done to all 27 of these quadrupole triplets. That won't be happening overnight. The official announcement (via Fermilab) is here.
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