CERN removes first giant beam absorbers from LHC, making room for High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider upgrade

CERN recently completed a complex transport operation, moving the first two giant components from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) tunnel to the surface, making room for the operation and upgrade of the future High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HiLumi LHC).

The equipment removed this time consists of two beam absorbers, also known as TAN absorbers. Each absorber is about 5 meters long and weighs about 30 tons, made of iron, copper, and marble, primarily used to protect accelerator magnets from damage caused by neutral particles generated along the beam direction during collisions.

A relevant official stated that this type of equipment is among the heaviest and largest devices that need to be removed from the LHC during this shutdown period. They were originally installed in 2006, when there was less equipment inside the tunnel; nearly 20 years later, the removal must be carried out without affecting existing equipment, significantly increasing the operational difficulty.

To accomplish this handling task, the relevant team conducted approximately three years of preparatory work, including the development and manufacturing of custom tractors, rolling platforms, and jacking systems. During transport, each beam absorber had to travel about 3 kilometers inside the LHC tunnel, from near the ATLAS experiment to the area where the ALICE detector is located. Subsequently, an overhead crane with a lifting capacity of 30 tons raised it approximately 100 meters to the surface. The entire transport process lasted about 8 hours, with clearance of only a few centimeters on some sections of the route, placing high demands on equipment control and on-site coordination.

According to the plan, two additional beam absorbers will be removed from the accelerator in the coming weeks. The relevant equipment will undergo thorough disassembly, and the entire central section will be replaced. The new beam absorbers are scheduled for installation in 2029 for the HiLumi LHC project.

In the coming months, the handling team will continue to manage the transport, installation, and removal of multiple heavy equipment items required for the LHC upgrade.