1. Update on the IBL vacuum flex transfer lines
Claudio Bortolin, Carolina Deluca, Piotr Gach George Glonti, Jan Godlewski, Abdel Laassiri, Markus Lippert, Sylvain Nichilo, Martijn van Overbeek, Bart Verlaat, Sven Vogt
Pixel week- 21st May 2014

2. Flex lines From S5 to IDEP
Side A
Side C
≈11m long

3. Status updated to 11th March presented during the review
The program
Optimize the design of the components ✔
Purchase the components: flex hoses, Swagelok fittings, vacuum parts ✔
Contact the welders and the mechanical technicians for production ✔
Purchase the orbital welding heads ✔
Pre-agreement with EN-MME for X-Rays checks schedule and availability ✔
Delivery of the purchased components: partially delivered
Flex line parts production and assembly: work in progress
Orbital welding and X-Rays: between week 12 and 15
Status updated to 11th March presented during the review
Flex lines leak tests: week 15 and 16

4. General schedule Materials and components ordered on February 2014
Last design topic (brazing of capillaries) solved on 17th March
The welding program was agreed with the PH-DT gas group responsible on 19th March
Between weeks 13 and 16 we assembled, checked and tested 16 flex lines (14 lines + 2 spares)

5. Rotatable connector

6. Manufacturing of the parts
Rotatable connector: machining and orbital welding carried out at MPI (Munich)
Nut
Gasket
Sealing glands
Profilometer measurements made by G. Romagnoli (PH-DT) at the EPFL (Lausanne)
Pressure tests at 160 bars and Helium leak test were successful
The rotatable connector can be completely disassembled to replace any possible damaged part

7. Flex concentric transfer line

8. Capillaries production
Capillaries brazing parameters optimized and checked with a destructive test
Brazing made by: Agostino Vacca (EN-MME)
Metallography check result: “No lack of brazing could be observed. No overflown filler could be observed in the pipe.” Alexandre Gerardin (EN-MME) - 17th March

9. Welding quality verified
Welding parameters optimized by Abdel L., Sylvain N. and Martijn van O., checked with ND or D tests for diameters: 3 mm, 4 mm, ¼”, 14 mm and 17.2 mm
Capillary brazing: Pressure and leak tested
The welding program parameters were archived for possible future productions

10. X-Rays check took place on Wed 2nd April
Week 14
Flex lines assembly started according to the suggested sequence: 4 mm (Det)
X-Rays check took place on Wed 2nd April

11. Week 14
17.2 mm (Det)

12. Capillaries insertion and ¼” connector welding

13. Each line may affect 7% of IBL
We carried out about 200 orbital welding and 64 welds were qualified with X-rays. Acceptance criteria: EN1435 (Class B EN 25817)
X-rays applied to:
1) welding test samples
2) all pressurized pipes connections
Results: 16 lines with 100% welding conformities

14. Pressure test
Helium Pressure test: we pressurized the liquid and gas pipes and looked for any leak with vacuum hoses connected to a leak detector
Caps
Helium Bottle
Leak rates measured:
8x10-9 to 2x10-8 mbar l/s
Helium leak detector

15. Connectivity table E-breakers Table n. 2 E-breakers Table n. 1
Flex line #
Splitter box location (Clock wise)
Flex line production ID
To manifold location (From USA15 to UX15)
Stave #
Flow
E-breaker N. A1 4 1 12
Vapor
195 C1 10 8
Liquid
187 13
139 85 A2 5 2 14
189 C2 3 11 9
135
133
153 A3 6
141 C3 95
103
105 A4 7
101 C4 97 51 93 A5 47 C5 83
167 91 A6
183 C6 15 77
203 81 A7
181 C7 16 45
171 19
E-breakers Table n. 2
E-breakers Table n. 1

16. Very good correlations between Flow and Dp
Flow test results
Nominal flow region
Very good correlations between Flow and Dp

17. We are ready to install the flex lines in UX15
Summary
We are ready to install the flex lines in UX15
Many people contributed to the successful construction and assembly of the flex lines for the IBL:
Abdel Laassiri (PH-DT), Roberto Guida (PH-DT), Frederic Merlet (PH-DT), Sylvain Nichilo (EN-CV-DC), Olivier Crespo-Lopez (EN-CV-DC), Martijn van Overbeek (Nikhef) Miguel Gil Costa (EN-MME), Agostino Vacca (EN-MME), Thierry Callamand (EN-MME), Alexandre Porret (EN-MME), Aline-Marie Piguiet (EN-MME) and Alexandre Gerardin (EN-MME).
I would like to particularly thank the PH-DT gas group, lead by Roberto Guida, for their support and effort during the production phase