The activities foreseen in the WP aims to build a new complete facility, a Superconducting Magnet Laboratory (SML), devoted to the development of the next generation superconducting magnets necessary for the realization of:
a) new accelerators concepts with less energy consumption;
b) new colliders, in the post LHC view, for high energy research;
c) innovative systems for guiding the beam with very compact and light apparats, particularly useful for hadron therapy. In all these strategic activities, the superconductivity in high field magnet is the key technology and the only practical solution to reach the objectives and cover the requirements for this important realization that the scientific community will have to realize in the present and following decade.
In the National territory this infrastructure would be a unique in the field of superconducting magnet, because for the first time there would be a complete research laboratory able to afford all the aspects necessary for the realization of medium/large size superconducting magnets, which are the intermediate step to develop new technologies, necessary to be passed before to the production phase in industry.
This completely new infrastructure for superconducting magnet construction is located in the LASA site which is already well organized for the test of superconducting magnets in the actual experimental area. Consequently, the new investment represents a natural and necessary completement of the cycle of development and realization of new generation of superconducting magnets.
The new infrastructure foresees the construction of a hall (surface 300 m2), with a 15 tons crane for heavy movements and with the other technical services necessary for the internal activity (500 kW electrical cabin, storage and distribution of Argon and other special gases). In the upper level a zone for light technical offices can be easily reserved.
The ground level of the building will host the tooling necessary for magnet constructions, which are part of the WP:
- A manual winding machine with vertical axis and double movement (covering all coil topology, single cable and multiple tapes), completed with the conductor tensioner.
- Press system for high pressure polymerization
- Special oven for vacuum impregnation of resin in magnets
- Ultraprecise high stress device, precision 1-10 micron (overall dimensions 2 m x 0.5 m x 0.5 m) calibrated at 3000 t/m
- Welding robot for precision assembly of cold mass (20 micron) and welding under prestress
- Yoke Lamination assembly device, necessary to control yoke filling factor
- Coil precision profilometer at high stress, with 3D Faro arm, laser reconstruction and system for 150 MPa pressure cycles
- Rapid Prototyping 3D Additive Manufacturing system for metal and plastic, to realize the special components present in the magnet
- Moreover, the experimental area for the cryogenic test of the magnets will requires the following new apparatus:
- Large Variable Temperature Insert to test coils inside a solenoid for QA
- New cryogenic distribution remotely controlled in the test stand for QA
- New power converter and related switch able to operate at +/- 40 V, 10 kA for fast pulsed superconducting magnet
These last scientific components, integrated in the already present infrastructure of LASA, will allow the completion of the test of the model and prototype magnet which will have realized, in order to give a rapid and complete feedback on the results that have to be accomplished with the new magnets. Rapid prototyping of components and the fast testing of developed solutions and technologies are the keys for a successful research and development of innovative magnets. The new infrastructure enables the assessment of different materials, technologies, superconductors, cooling systems allowing thoughtful design choices to reach maximum performances and optimized production in industry.
The new realized infrastructure is not only an instrumented research space/laboratory: it constitutes a unique forum fostering innovation and exchange among academia and industry. Industry is called in future to be able to the mass production of large technological components necessary to the large European and world programs in energy physics research, as the experience in large program in the recent past has demonstrated (HERA, LHC, X-FEL, ESS). The launch of a new collider after LHC, will require the national industry to be competitive and technically prepared to give important contributions in the programs. The SML at LASA will have the task to prove and test the key technology that need to be developed in research laboratory before to pass in an industrialization phase.
The laboratory will also have to be open to research collaboration with other European laboratory which are already involved in similar superconducting programs. The present activities of the researchers present at LASA are executed in consolidated collaborations with major world laboratory (CERN; CEA-Saclay, CIEMAT-Madrid, FERMILAB-US, LBNL-Berkeley, BNL-Brookhaven, PSI-Switzerland, GSI-Darmstadt), and consequently the new SML will be an Open Access and Transnational Access to scientists and research people, consolidating this exchange and with great benefit of all the superconducting community. The strong contamination between Academia, International research laboratory and Industry, with physicists, material scientists, engineers, technologists working together the innovative solution, can greatly enhance the impact that superconductivity can provide for society and research.
Università degli Studi di Milano
The activity consists in the preparation of a preliminary design of the facility, with the feasibility study. In the study will have to be considered the location of the new facility, the interconnection with the actual structure and to the local services. The preliminary study is propaedeutic to launch the tender for the executive design. The executive design needs to be coordinated with the characteristics of the tooling that have to be installed in the hall, including technical services necessary for the operation
After the assignment of the executive design, the contract for the construction will be signed. To compress the time necessary for the two contracts, a two-steps contract may be foreseen: first step executive design, second step construction, with the possibility to recede from the construction phase, in favour of a different contractor.
