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The operation and monitoring of the LHC requires a cryogenic instrumentation system of an unprecedented size (800 instrumentation crates, holding 15000 sensors and actuators), with strict constraints on temperature measurement uncertainty and radiation hardness for all sensors and actuators. This paper presents the applied procedures of quality assurance and the specific hard- & software tools used to meet and track the mentioned requirements during its lifetime (fabrication, installation, commissioning, operation and maintenance); within the given constraints of time schedule, accessibility and coordination with other teams.

The Large Hadron Collider makes extensive use of superconductors, in magnets for bending and focusing the particles, and in RF cavities for accelerating them, which are operated at 1.9 K and 4.5 K. The process automation for the cryogenic distribution around the accelerator circumference is based on 16 Programmable Logic Controllers, each running 250 control loops, 500 alarms and interlocks, and a phase sequencer. Spread along 27 km and under ionizing radiation, 15 000 cryogenic sensors and actuators are accessed through industrial field networks. We describe the main hardware and software components of the control system, their deployment and commissioning, together with the project organization, challenges faced, and solutions found.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is a two-ring superconducting accelerator and proton-proton collider of 27 km circumference, which is in operational phase. The dipoles operate at 8.3 T, cooled by superfluid helium at 1.9 K. The operation and monitoring of the LHC require a massive amount of cryogenic instrumentation. This paper focuses on the commissioning of the cryogenic instrumentation.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is a superconducting accelerator and proton-proton collider of circumference of 27 km, lying about 100 m underground. Its operation relies on 1232 superconducting dipoles with a field of 8.3 T and 392 superconducting quadrupoles with a field gradient of 223 T/m powered at 11.8 kA and operating in superfluid helium at 1.9 K. This paper describes the cryogenic instrumentation commissioning, the challenges and the project organization based on our 2.5 years experience.