Author: Ferro-Luzzi, M.
Paper Title Page
THPPR040 First Operational Experience with the LHC Machine Protection System when Operating with Beam Energies Beyond the 100 MJ Range 4062
 
  • M. Zerlauth, R.W. Assmann, B. Dehning, M. Ferro-Luzzi, B. Goddard, M. Lamont, R. Schmidt, A.P. Siemko, J.A. Uythoven, J. Wenninger
    CERN, Geneva, Switzerland
 
  The LHC made a remarkable progress in luminosity production during 2011 operation. This was made possible by a progressive increase of beam intensities by more than 5 orders of magnitude, reaching stored beam energies beyond 100MJ at the end of the year. The correct functioning of the machine protection systems was vital during initial operation and even more when approaching nominal beam parameters, where an uncontrolled loss of a small fraction of the beam is already sufficient to damage accelerator equipment or the large experimental detectors The machine protection system depends on the interplay of many different elements: beam dumping system, beam interlocks, beam instrumentation, equipment monitoring, collimators and absorbers, etc. The strategy applied during 2011 to allow for an efficient but yet safe increase of the beam intensities is presented along with the associated risks and drawbacks of a too aggressive approach. The experience gained with the key systems will be discussed along with possibilities to further enhance machine availability whilst maintaining the current level of safety.