WP4 Equipment Bids (Tim)

Bids ATLAS – Case for the Purchase of Equipment for the Testing of Cooling Loops (£15k) – Case for the Purchase of Equipment for Bulk Module Storage (£12k) Institute Bids with ATLAS endorsement – Sheffield Procurement of Equipment for the Construction of a CO2 Cooling System

Case for the Purchase of Equipment for the Testing of Cooling Loops (£15k) The funded programme for stave development includes the development of test systems for verifying the leak-tightness and pressure handling capability of cooling loops. Cooling loops are composite assemblies of essentially 7 components; one bent titanium tube, two commercial titanium-ceramic electrical breaks, two end- stalks and two commercial titanium fittings with the connections between sub- components being formed using orbital welding. The test system we are proposing to develop incorporates both repeated hydraulic testing to high pressure and a determination of the leak tightness at operating pressure and temperature by measuring the decrease in pressure in a sealed system, housed in a low temperature freezer, over time. This test system will be capable of proving the leak tightness of both sub-components and multiple Stave cooling assemblies. The funds we are requesting will cover the cost of a large, low temperature freezer (£8k), the semi-automated cycling hydraulic test system (£4k) and the equipment for filling the system with a test gas and measuring the drop in pressure over an extended period of time (£3k). The schedule for the manufacture of further cooling loops indicates that the project would benefit from the development of this system as soon as possible.

Case for the Purchase of Equipment for Bulk Module Storage (£12k) The funded programme for stave development includes the manufacture of a number of fully- populated electrical staves over the next two years. Electrical modules will be manufactured by partner institutes world-wide and will come to RAL to be mounted onto the stave cores. As such, these modules have a rarity-value which requires that they be properly stored in a well-defined protective environment from their arrival at RAL until they are mounted onto the stave and wirebonded. In the original proposal we identified Liverpool and RAL as being the sites at which such storage facilities would be required in the longer term. In the intervening period, the Liverpool group have purchased a storage cabinet from their own funds and therefore there is a need for just one such facility at RAL. WP2 are tabling a bid to equip two institutes (Glasgow & Birmingham) with storage systems which would be suitable for WP4. The Totech HSD Dry cabinet meets our needs and has been quoted at £11k each, including VAT. They have a 1179 litre storage capacity designed for micro- electronics, sensors and other ESD sensitive devices with an extendable, sliding shelf systems. They have a very slow purge rate to allow for the use of N2 safely with programmable automated large volume purge to rapidly re-establish dry conditions after opening of doors. Mindful of the internationally agreed programme for module mounting at RAL we would like to purchase the bulk module storage facility for RAL at the earliest opportunity. Should the WP2 systems also be approved we would seek to place a common order in the home of obtaining a favourable discount.

Endorsement for Procurement of Equipment for the Construction of a CO2 Cooling System Within the original bid to PPRP for the current ATLAS Tracker Upgrade programme we identified the need to equip two institutes (RAL and Liverpool) with re-circulating CO2 cooling plants for the testing of fully populated stave cores. However, such systems are not commercially available and we believe the only viable route to securing access to this essential capability is through a collaboration with the CERN cooling group who have developed a prototype small-scale system. We are aware that the Sheffield group are tabling a bid for funds to manufacture a CO2 cooling plant to the CERN design, in collaboration with the CERN group, and to work together on further development. It is anticipated that this system would be used through the duration of the programme and transportable for later testing at detector integration sites. Within the ATLAS-UK community, we have discussed the Sheffield initiative to bid for funds for the commercially available components and custom manufactured components for such a system. We wholeheartedly support the Sheffield group in their bid for these funds and welcome the commitment by Sheffield to assemble and commission a cooling plant using their own (i.e. non-ATLAS) technical effort.