Development of a New Insulation Approach for the LHC Main 13 kA Interconnection Splices

In the long LHC (Large Hadron Collider) shutdown in 2013 it is foreseen to intervene on all the 13 kA interconnections in order to guarantee the necessary margin and redundancy to provide safe LHC operation at 7 TeV per beam. This implies reinforcement of the present interconnection configuration including a new insulation scheme of the busbars. The purpose of the new insulation model is to provide dielectric insulation with at least the same performance as its predecessor currently installed in the LHC machine, but in addition to contain the Lorentz forces. This paper describes the analytic and empirical approach of development to reach a new insulation concept based on state of the art materials and manufacturing techniques.