890 metres of beam vacuum piping dismantled for HiLumi LHC
Ongoing upgrades on the road to HiLumi 890 metres of beam vacuum piping dismantled for HiLumi LHC 29 September 2026 In August and September, CERN’s Beam Vacuum Operation team carried out the complete dismantling of all beam vacuum lines in sections of the LHC tunnel by the ATLAS and CMS experiments, to make space for the new HiLumi LHC. The teams used huge pliers to cut the piping into smaller…
In August and September, CERN's Beam Vacuum Operation team successfully dismantled all beam vacuum lines in sections of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) tunnel, belonging to the ATLAS and CMS experiments. This was done to create space for the new HiLumi LHC, a significant upgrade on the road to the future collider. The teams utilized giant pliers to cut the piping into smaller pieces for easier removal, handling, and sorting of the various components.
Close coordination with CERN's Fire Brigade ensured safe cutting and sorting of the approximately 7-meter-long copper beam pipes.
Simultaneously, the Transport team provided close support for the removal and transportation of 32 vacuum chambers, each around 116 kg and 6 meters long. The dismantling process involved over 1,300 components, which equates to approximately 890 meters of beam vacuum piping in total. The complete vacuum system removal in these LHC tunnel sections, including the beam vacuum piping, connecting modules, support system, instrumentation, and valves, is part of the Vacuum group's broader mission for the HiLumi LHC.
Their responsibilities encompass ensuring an intact beam, vacuum insulation, carbon coating on many sections in contact with the beam, and more.
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