Automated Process Control for the Beam Gas Curtain Vacuum System at CERN

L. Cantu, R. Ferreira, J. Francisco Rebelo, A. Rocha, C. Vazquez Pelaez, L. Zygaropoulos

2025

Abstract

The Beam Gas Curtain (BGC) system is a key diagnostic instrument for non-invasive proton beam profiling in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), relying on precise and safe gas injection into the beam pipe. Initially operated via manual procedures through a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) interface, BGC injections required expert users, were time consuming and vulnerable to human error. This paper presents the design and implementation of an automated gas injection control system, fully integrated within the LHC Vacuum Control System SCADA and using Vacuum Framework. The solution includes a finite state machine (FSM) deployed on a programmable logic controller (PLC), a new state-aware SCADA interface, and a comprehensive interlock strategy combining device-level and process-level safety. The system was extensively tested using simulations and staged commissioning, culminating in a successful deployment during the LHC Year-End Technical Stop (YETS) 2024/25. Automation has drastically simplified operations, increased reliability, and enhanced machine safety, requiring only two user actions to initiate an injection.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Cantu L., Ferreira R., Rebelo J., Rocha A., Pelaez C. and Zygaropoulos L. (2025). Automated Process Control for the Beam Gas Curtain Vacuum System at CERN. In Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics - Volume 1: ICINCO; ISBN 978-989-758-770-2, SciTePress, pages 282-289. DOI: 10.5220/0013744900003982

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icinco25,
author={L. Cantu and R. Ferreira and J. Rebelo and A. Rocha and C. Pelaez and L. Zygaropoulos},
title={Automated Process Control for the Beam Gas Curtain Vacuum System at CERN},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics - Volume 1: ICINCO},
year={2025},
pages={282-289},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0013744900003982},
isbn={978-989-758-770-2},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 22nd International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics - Volume 1: ICINCO
TI - Automated Process Control for the Beam Gas Curtain Vacuum System at CERN
SN - 978-989-758-770-2
AU - Cantu L.
AU - Ferreira R.
AU - Rebelo J.
AU - Rocha A.
AU - Pelaez C.
AU - Zygaropoulos L.
PY - 2025
SP - 282
EP - 289
DO - 10.5220/0013744900003982
PB - SciTePress