Heat Flow Measurements on LHC Components

The refrigeration and liquefaction capacity necessary to operate at 1.9 K the 27 km long string of superconducting magnets of the LHC has been determined on the basis of heat load estimates, including static heat inleaks from ambient temperature, resistive heating and dynamic beam-induced heat loads. At all temperature levels, the static heat inleaks determine at least one third of the total heat loads in nominal operating conditions of the machine. Design validation of individual cryocomponents therefore requires a correct estimate of the heat inleaks they induce at all temperature levels, in order not to exceed the allocated heat budget. This paper illustrates the measurements of heat inleaks for several cold components of the future machine, including insulating supports, radiation shields, multi-layer insulation, instrumentation current leads. Distinct methods to determine the heat flow are chosen, depending on the expected heat loads, the temperature range spanned by the heat intercepts, and the working conditions of the component itself.