Specifications and Performance of Series Superfluid Helium Safety Relief Valves for the LHC

Protecting the LHC magnets requires safety relief valves operating with 1.9 K pressurized superfluid helium at their inlet. Following the evaluation of prototype valves, a specification for the production of the 360 safety relief valves needed for the LHC was issued. The production of the safety valves was then awarded to an industrial contractor. The performance of pre-series valves was assessed for a variety of aspects including thermal performance, leak tightness in superfluid helium, dynamic behavior and resistance to intensive mechanical cycling. After the initial validation phase the series production was completed within the technical requirements of the specification. This paper describes the characteristics of the safety relief valves and the specifications for their industrial production. The performance of the pre-series valves is presented and an overview of the series production phase is given.