Beam impact experiment to qualify the damage limits of Nb3Sn sample coils pre-irradiated to 30 MGy

A series of experiments has been carried out at CERN to derive the damage limits of superconductor strands and sample coils. The latest experiment was designed to characterize the limits of Nb3Sn racetrack sample coils impacted by a 440 GeV/c proton beam at cryogenic temperature. The effect of a beam impact on superconducting coils aged by long-term radiation exposure, however, is currently unknown. This paper outlines the preparation of an experiment to be performed at the HiRadMat facility to investigate the damage on coils which have been aged with X-rays to simulate the anticipated integral dose levels reached by the HL-LHC final focusing magnets during their operational lifetime, of 25 to 30 MGy. The damage limits for these coils will be derived and compared with the results previously obtained for non-aged coils. The design and fabrication of these sample coils, the details of the X-ray irradiation and the results from their qualification tests before beam impact is discussed. The results of energy deposition simulations that define the optimal parameters for the proton beam to be used are presented. The experimental setup and procedure are discussed.