Evolution of beam losses after a power cut of the SR7 AC supply

Magnet failures in the LHC could lead to equipment damage if the energy stored in the accelerator was not discharged properly. The Machine Protection Systems (MPS) ensure this proper discharge and knowledge about the evolution of losses in case of failure is needed to evaluate the adequacy of the protection. A power cut of the AC supply in SR7 would lead to a simultaneous current decay in three normal conducting circuits. The evolution of the losses after such failure is slow, with a loss time constant of more than 100 ms both at 450 GeV and 7 TeV, and in both cases the damage level is not reached before 45 ms. This leaves sufficient time for the MPS to ensure redundant protection. A similar scenario would be expected for a power cut at SR3.