LHC cryogenics and helium management in case of a major power outage

Abstract The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) houses a very large inventory of helium (to-talizing 150 tons, including the strategic operational reserve) which must be properly managed and secured in the event of a major power outage. This paper presents dynamic simulations of the LHC cryogenic system following such an event and analyzes the different possible scenarios with their consequences. The simulations are first compared with experimental data obtained during relatively short power outages to validate the model. Then, the simulations are used to predict the behavior of the LHC cryogenic system and the evolution of helium inventory in the event of a longer power outage for different applied strategies.