Orbit Feedback Operation with RCBX (MD 1209)

The LHC Orbit Feedback (OFB) is able to drive any orbit corrector circuit (COD) to steer the LHC orbit. But during the first feedback tests in 2010, all attempts to use the common triplet orbit correctors (MCBX) failed because the QPS system installed to protect those magnets triggered power aborts as soon as the OFB steered the beam with those CODs. The reason was most likely the violation of the RCBX circuit acceleration limits. For this reason the MCBX orbit correctors were never driven by the OFB in regular operation. Although the performance of the OFB is generally excellent, the quality of the beam steering around IRs could be improved if the OFB could correct the orbit with the MCBX to counteract locally triplet quadrupole movements. The aim of this MD was to make a new attempt to use the MCBX in the OFB. The test was successful at injection (no circuit trip) and failed during the ramp (QPS power abort). The PC voltages and QPS Ures signals revealed the presence of voltage spikes with a period of 10~seconds on all LHC orbit correctors when the OFB is switched on. The spikes alone are almost sufficient to trigger a QPS power abort, their origin must be investigated with further studies.