LTE/3G-based wireless communications for remote control and monitoring of PLC-controlled mobile vacuum devices

All particle accelerators and most experiments at CERN require high (HV) or ultra-high (UHV) vacuum levels. Contributing to vacuum production are two types of mobile devices: Turbo-Molecular Pumping Groups and Bakeout Racks. During accelerator stops, these PLC-controlled devices are temporarily installed in the tunnels and integrated in the Vacuum SCADA, through wired Profibus-DP. This method, though functional, poses certain issues which a wireless solution would greatly mitigate. The CERN private LTE/3G network is available in the accelerators through a leaky-feeder antenna cable which spans the whole length of the tunnels. This paper describes the conception and implementation of an LTE/3G-based modular communication system for PLC-controlled vacuum mobile devices. It details the hardware and software architecture of the system and lays the foundation of a solution that can be easily adapted to systems other than vacuum.