The High-Luminosity Project is nowadays in the transition from the prototyping phase into full construction mode and most of the activities in view of the series production for the HL-LHC hardware have already started.
Procurement and industrialization are closely following the natural evolution of the project and are running in parallel to the project milestones. These activities already started during the design study phase in view of the model/short prototypes production. With the start of large-scale series production, procurement has become a very intense and instrumental activity during the last five years in support of all HL-LHC work-packages in their interactions with CERN Member States Industries.
Industrialization has been a permanent challenge for any innovative, large-scale research project such as the HL-LHC. For most of the required components, the number of series units is rather small, while the technical requirements are very demanding, and in many cases well beyond standard industrial practices. Intense sourcing campaigns, such as HL-LHC industry days or industry exhibitions at CERN were organized in order to trigger technical discussions and involve industries from a very early stage of the project life cycle.
Despite these challenges, the project has successfully launched the industrial production of novel equipment and materials such as the Nb3Sn collared coils for the 11T magnets, the DQW/RFD Crab Cavities, the Molybdenum-Graphite (MoGr) blocks/taperings for low-impedance collimators, the new Dispersion Suppressor collimators (TCLDA), the MgB2 cables for the Superconducting Links, the class 0 DCCTs, the CLIQ units for magnet protection and many more. Likewise, all the contracts for the components of the IR magnets (being one of the cornerstones of HL-LHC) were already placed and are, in many cases, completed or very close to successful completion.
The completion of Long Shutdown 2 (LS2) also successfully concludes the installation of several HL-LHC related hardware such as the TANB, IR2 connection cryostats, TCSPMs, TCLDs and TDIS which are now ready for the beam commissioning that will commence in fall 2021. With the IT String, another important milestone of the project is approaching, hence contracts for equipment to be installed are being placed, as well as for those related to the test stand and services.
Despite the COVID-19 situation still inducing manifold collateral effects on industrial contractors (global shortage in the semiconductor industry, volatile prices of raw materials, etc.), the project today is not observing major deviations with regards to the procurement plan. The years 2021-2022 will still see the placement of several crucial tenders for the project, such as cryogenics equipment (Refrigeration and cryo-distribution), the 2 kA power converters, vehicles for the transport and installation of cryo-magnets in the LHC and the cooling & ventilation contracts for underground infrastructures. The award of these major contracts will help to further reduce the risk related to the remaining expenditures of the project.
