Applying advanced Control techniques for temperature regulation of the LHC superconducting magnets

The temperature of the superconducting magnets for the future LHC accelerator is a control parameter with strict operating constraints imposed by (a) the maximum temperature at which the magnets can operate, (b) the cooling capacity of the cryogenic system, (c) the variability of applied heat loads and (d) the accuracy of the instrumentation. A temperature regulation with narrow control band can in principle be achieved by implementing a Model Predictive Control (MPC)-type controller. For this purpose, and for investigating the behavior of the cooling system, a simulation program has been developed. A prototype MPC controller has been installed and completed its first run.