Automatic Management Systems for the Operation of the Cryogenic Test Facilities for LHC Series Superconducting Magnets

Prior to their final preparation before installation in the tunnel, the ~1800 series superconducting magnets of the LHC machine shall be entirely tested at reception on modular test facilities. The operation 24 hours per day of the cryogenic test facilities is conducted in turn by 3-operator teams, assisted in real time by the use of the Test Bench Priorities Handling System, a process control application enforcing the optimum use of cryogenic utilities and of the "Tasks Tracking System", a web-based e-traveller application handling 12 parallel 38-task test sequences. This paper describes how such computer-based management systems can be used to optimize operation of concurrent test benches within technical boundary conditions given by the cryogenic capacity, and how they can be used to study the efficiency of the automatic steering of all individual cryogenic sub-systems. Finally, this paper presents the overall performance of the cryomagnet test station for the first complete year of operation at high production rate.