Periodic Reporting for period 2 - Quaco (QUAdrupoleCOrrector)
Período documentado: 2017-07-01 hasta 2021-06-30
The QUACO project has as objective the production of the first two First-of-a-kind “two-in-one” quadrupoles for the Interaction Region of High-Luminosity (HI-LUMI) Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Even if the purposes of our R&D procurement are designed for the specific requirements of the LHC machine and for its improved luminosity target, the general technology entailing their designs and manufacturing, and the procurement process we are piloting, is meant to provide benefits to other R&D programs, to other accelerator designs and even in more general terms, to all the magnet and superconductivity technologies and market.
A common set of concerted technical specifications, using the different specific expertise and know-how of each of the procurement partners in the consortia, will align the scope and requirements (technical and administrative) aggregating and harmonizing the demand, and making different magnets as the same example valid to address the common challenge. On the basis of the common set of concerted technical specifications, at functional level, a unified and harmonized tender procedure has been prepared, arranged in a way able to finalize different variants, or examples, of magnet. Examples of the R&D result effort could be, but are not exclusively limited to, quadrupole for beam focusing.
The action has successfully concluded with the design and manufacturing of 2 pilots quadrupoles, using innovative techniques in the full engineering processes. The produced magnets have also been tested at CERN for quality of magnetic performances. The innovative design and manufacturing methods are immediately applicable to similar kind of constructions, providing possible benefits in terms of time and cost.
A common set of concerted technical specifications, using the different specific expertise and know-how of each of the procurement partners in the consortia, will align the scope and requirements (technical and administrative) aggregating and harmonizing the demand, and making different magnets as the same example valid to address the common challenge. On the basis of the common set of concerted technical specifications, at functional level, a unified and harmonized tender procedure has been prepared, arranged in a way able to finalize different variants, or examples, of magnet. Examples of the R&D result effort could be, but are not exclusively limited to, quadrupole for beam focusing.
The action has successfully concluded with the design and manufacturing of 2 pilots quadrupoles, using innovative techniques in the full engineering processes. The produced magnets have also been tested at CERN for quality of magnetic performances. The innovative design and manufacturing methods are immediately applicable to similar kind of constructions, providing possible benefits in terms of time and cost.
Open Market Consultation was held on 30.03.2016. and especially the preparation of tender documentation (Technical functional specification, Framework Contract, and Annex 9) has progressed as planned, with the target to issue the tender by June 2016.
Indeed, the RfT was issued according to plan, including the review from EC. We received, at the deadline for submission of bids, on July 26, 2016, 4 valid offers. The evaluations of bids was performed between mid July and September 2016, with a report issued by JTEC recommending to STC the approval for selection of 4 bidders. All this is well and fully detailed in deliverable D1.2. Since November 2016, the project has started the full implementation of phase 1, solution design. A careful following-up of the work has been managed by the Buyers Group, with regular meetings at the different contractor premises. A mid-phase review meeting was held in CERN, with all the 4 contractors, in order to fine tune and steer the design activity, and to clarify the full process. The Contractors have all terminated the phase 1 according to time plan, by handling a Final Report, which includes the deliverables specified in our contractual documentation. These reports have been assessed according to the procedure, for eligibility to payments, and for eligibility to access to phase 2.
The comprehensive assessment of the 4 Contractor phase 1 work has been performed by JTEC, with PMT contribution, and an Evaluation Report with final recommendations, has been issued by JTEC and PMT, and has been submitted to STC on April 10th, 2017, and has been submitted to EC on April 24th for final approval. These all resulted in approvals to issuing the Work Orders for phase 2 during the month of July 2017.
Since July 2017 few events have impacted the project phase 2 and 3. The subcontractors requested to be allocated more time for the work to be done, CERN experimented delays in the production and supply of superconducting cable necessary for winding the magnets and eventually the COVID-19 outbreak. All this resulted in interruption and postponement of work in the companies’ premises and a final delay. Due to the above reported events, and considering as well feedback from suppliers, a total of 3 successive amendments to the Grant Agreement requesting extensions of the project duration, were demanded by the project and conceded by the EC.
As a result of the second tender, 3 bidders were selected to perform the engineering design of the superconductive quadrupole for the QUACO project. The subcontractors were from different EU countries: 2 companies from Spain, 1 from France.
As a result of the third tender, 2 bidders were selected to perform the manufacturing of the pilot superconductive quadrupoles for the QUACO project. The subcontractor’s companies were from Spain and from France.
During phase 2 and 3 of the project, and despite the pandemics, the Project Management Team (PMT) met every single week to follow-up punctually the progress of activities and minutes of the more than 100 meetings held are well archived. Specific contacts with the companies were held as well with a weekly frequency, either via teleconference, phone calls, mailings, and where and when possible, with in-person meetings. A few of these in-person meetings required also to be kept, with obvious logistics difficulties, during the pandemic.
The technical scope of the project was concluded when, between March and June 2021 the produced pilot quadrupoles magnets were tested at CERN to characterise their performances in terms of the quality of the produced magnetic field.
Papers to Conference proceedings have been published and new ones are in preparation, and information notes have been also published in CERN or are in publication for the newsletters of the Accelerators science communities.
Indeed, the RfT was issued according to plan, including the review from EC. We received, at the deadline for submission of bids, on July 26, 2016, 4 valid offers. The evaluations of bids was performed between mid July and September 2016, with a report issued by JTEC recommending to STC the approval for selection of 4 bidders. All this is well and fully detailed in deliverable D1.2. Since November 2016, the project has started the full implementation of phase 1, solution design. A careful following-up of the work has been managed by the Buyers Group, with regular meetings at the different contractor premises. A mid-phase review meeting was held in CERN, with all the 4 contractors, in order to fine tune and steer the design activity, and to clarify the full process. The Contractors have all terminated the phase 1 according to time plan, by handling a Final Report, which includes the deliverables specified in our contractual documentation. These reports have been assessed according to the procedure, for eligibility to payments, and for eligibility to access to phase 2.
The comprehensive assessment of the 4 Contractor phase 1 work has been performed by JTEC, with PMT contribution, and an Evaluation Report with final recommendations, has been issued by JTEC and PMT, and has been submitted to STC on April 10th, 2017, and has been submitted to EC on April 24th for final approval. These all resulted in approvals to issuing the Work Orders for phase 2 during the month of July 2017.
Since July 2017 few events have impacted the project phase 2 and 3. The subcontractors requested to be allocated more time for the work to be done, CERN experimented delays in the production and supply of superconducting cable necessary for winding the magnets and eventually the COVID-19 outbreak. All this resulted in interruption and postponement of work in the companies’ premises and a final delay. Due to the above reported events, and considering as well feedback from suppliers, a total of 3 successive amendments to the Grant Agreement requesting extensions of the project duration, were demanded by the project and conceded by the EC.
As a result of the second tender, 3 bidders were selected to perform the engineering design of the superconductive quadrupole for the QUACO project. The subcontractors were from different EU countries: 2 companies from Spain, 1 from France.
As a result of the third tender, 2 bidders were selected to perform the manufacturing of the pilot superconductive quadrupoles for the QUACO project. The subcontractor’s companies were from Spain and from France.
During phase 2 and 3 of the project, and despite the pandemics, the Project Management Team (PMT) met every single week to follow-up punctually the progress of activities and minutes of the more than 100 meetings held are well archived. Specific contacts with the companies were held as well with a weekly frequency, either via teleconference, phone calls, mailings, and where and when possible, with in-person meetings. A few of these in-person meetings required also to be kept, with obvious logistics difficulties, during the pandemic.
The technical scope of the project was concluded when, between March and June 2021 the produced pilot quadrupoles magnets were tested at CERN to characterise their performances in terms of the quality of the produced magnetic field.
Papers to Conference proceedings have been published and new ones are in preparation, and information notes have been also published in CERN or are in publication for the newsletters of the Accelerators science communities.
The Phase 1 of the project has provided indications that innovation has been generated in the design of the QUACO magnet. Companies participating to phase 1, have proposed unconventional and/or optimized designs solutions that could, in principle, provide benefits in terms of cost of mechanical tooling and time of manufacturing. Companies have also proposed improvements into the software tools able to optimise the design.
Indeed, these innovative ideas have been more analysed during phase 2, and demonstration and validation of the concepts have been developed during phase 2 and 3, till to the end of the project, with the final manufacturing demonstration that the concepts can be industrialized for the benefit of a better manufacturing in terms of cost and time.
Indeed, these innovative ideas have been more analysed during phase 2, and demonstration and validation of the concepts have been developed during phase 2 and 3, till to the end of the project, with the final manufacturing demonstration that the concepts can be industrialized for the benefit of a better manufacturing in terms of cost and time.