Operational aspects of the VELO cooling system of LHCb

The VELO is a silicon strip detector that is positioned around the interaction region of LHCb. It is placed inside a secondary vacuum with respect to that of the LHC. The cooling system of the VELO is based on the bi-phase accumulator controlled method, using CO$_2$ as coolant. The main objective is the removal of the heat produced by the front-end electronics. Moreover, the leakage currents of the sensors are strongly reduced and thermal runaway is prevented. Since the sensors have been irradiated in Run 1 they should always be cooled to below $^-$5 $^{\rm{o}}$C. The operational principle and main characteristics of the system are described, as well as the warning and safety systems that guarantee the safe operation of the detector. The few problems that have been encountered during the four years of continuous operation are discussed together with the solutions that have been implemented.