Among the components to be upgraded in LHC interaction regions for the HiLumi-LHC projects are the inner triplet (or low-β) quadrupole magnets, denoted as Q1, Q2a, Q2b, and Q3. The new quadrupole magnets, called MQXF, are based on Nb3Sn superconducting magnet technology and operate at a gradient of 132.6 T/m with a conductor peak field of 11.4 T. The Q1 and Q3 are composed by magnets (called MQXFA) fabricated by the US Accelerator Upgrade Project (AUP) with a magnetic length of 4.2 m. The Q2a and Q2b consists of magnets (called MQXFB) fabricated by CERN with a magnetic length of 7.15 m. After a series of short models, constructed in close collaboration by the US and CERN, the development program is now entering in the prototyping phase, with CERN on one side and BNL, FNAL, and LBNL on the other side assembling and testing their first long magnets. We provide in this paper a description of the status of the MQXF program, with a summary of the short model test results, including quench performance, and mechanics, and an update on the fabrication, assembly and test of the long prototypes.

The High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) is the new flagship project of CERN. First endorsed in 2013 and approved in 2016, HL-LHC is an upgrade of the accelerator aiming to increase by a factor of ten the statistics of the LHC collisions at the horizon of 2035-2040. HL-LHC relies on cutting edge technologies: among them, large aperture superconducting magnets will replace the present hardware to allow a smaller beam size in two interaction points (IPs). The project involves the construction of about 150 magnets of six different types: the quadrupole triplet, two main dipoles and three orbit correctors. The triplet, manufactured at CERN and in the USA, will consist of 30 magnets based on Nb 3 Sn technology, with an Original content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

The HQ magnet is a 120 mm aperture, 1-meter-long Nb3Sn quadrupole developed by the LARP collaboration in the framework of the High-Luminosity LHC project. A first series of coils was assembled and tested in 5 assemblies of the HQ01 series. The HQ01e model achieved a maximum gradient of 170 T/m at 4.5 K at LBNL in 2010-2011 and reached 184 T/m at 1.9 K at CERN in 2012. A new series of coils incorporating major design changes was fabricated for the HQ02 series. The first model, HQ02a, was tested at Fermilab where it reached 98% of the short sample limit at 4.5 K with a gradient of 182 T/m in 2013. However, the full training of the coils at 1.9 K could not be performed due to a current limit of 15 kA. Following this test, the azimuthal coil pre-load was increased by about 30 MPa and an additional current lead was installed at the electrical center of the magnet for quench protection studies. The test name of this magnet changed to HQ02b. In 2014, HQ02b was then shipped to CERN as the first opportunity for full training at 1.9 K. In this paper, we present a comprehensive summary of the HQ02 test results including: magnet training at 1.9 K with increased pre-load, quench origin and propagation, and ramp rate dependence. A series of powering tests was also performed to assess changes in magnet performance with a gradual increase of the MIITs. We also present the results of quench protection studies using different setting for detection, heater coverage, energy extraction and the Coupling-Loss Induced Quench (CLIQ) system. However, the full training of the coils at 1.9 K could not be performed due to a current limit of 15 kA. Following this test, the azimuthal coil pre-load was increased by about 30 MPa and an additional current lead was installed at the electrical center of the magnet for quench protection studies. The test name of this magnet changed to HQ02b. In 2014, HQ02b was then shipped to CERN as the first opportunity for full training at 1.9 K. In this paper, we present a comprehensive summary of the HQ02 test results including: magnet training at 1.9 K with increased preload, quench origin and propagation, and ramp rate dependence. A series of powering tests was also performed to assess changes in magnet performance with a gradual increase of the MIITs. We also present the results of quench protection studies using different setting for detection, heater coverage, energy extraction and the Coupling-Loss Induced Quench (CLIQ) system.

During the development of MQXF, the new Nb3Sn quadrupole to be used in the LHC inner triplets for the High Luminosity upgrade, three short models were tested: MQXFS1, MQXFS3 and MQXFS5. These models differ in the use of thin or thick laminations for the iron components, in the coil design and in the superconductive strands, RRP or PIT. In the MQXF design, the azimuthal prestress is provided at room temperature by means of the bladder-key technology, and it is further increased during the cooldown by the differential thermal contraction of the various components. Four aluminum rods provide the longitudinal prestress. Both systems allow for a flexible control of the amount of prestress applied. As a consequence, it was possible to test the models exploring different azimuthal and longitudinal prestress conditions, in an attempt to understand their impact on the magnet performances. This paper studies the mechanical behavior of these short models, also providing the strain and stresses measured by means of strain gauges installed on the aluminum shell, on the winding poles and on the rods. Finally, the paper compares the measures with the results from FE models.

Abstract-The US LHC Accelerator Research Program (LARP) has been developing Nb3Sn quadrupoles of increasing performance for the high luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider. The 120 mm aperture High-field Quadrupole (HQ) models are the last step in the R&D phase supporting the development of the new IR Quadrupoles (MQXF). Three series of HQ coils were fabricated and assembled in a shell-based support structure, progressively optimizing the design and fabrication process. The final set of coils consistently applied the optimized design solutions, and was assembled in the HQ03a model. This paper reports a summary of the HQ03a test results, including training, mechanical performance, field quality and quench studies.