Installing (and Dismantling) an Accelerator: Technical Expertise and International Exchange
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Installing a particle accelerator is not just about assembling advanced scientific components. It’s an operation that requires detailed planning, logistical skills, interdisciplinary knowledge, and careful site management. The work involves heavy yet extremely delicate structures, laying thousands of cables of various types, organizing assembly phases, ensuring safety, and managing rigorous testing. The complexity increases when the new facility must replace an existing one. Removing an accelerator that has been operational for decades to make room for a more advanced machine is an undertaking that demands twice the attention and precision. This is the case with the Elettra 2.0 project, currently underway at Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste, in line with similar efforts at other major international laboratories. |
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To share experiences and solutions among those directly involved in these activities, dedicated peer-to-peer technical meetings have been held since 2021: the PAU-RI workshops (Particle Accelerator Upgrade – Removal & Installation). After two online editions due to the pandemic and the first in-person event organized by Elettra in Trieste in 2024, the fourth workshop took place at the Argonne National Laboratory (Illinois, USA) from May 14 to 16, 2025. More than 55 experts from 8 research laboratories in Europe, Asia, and North America attended the event. Over three days, they exchanged ideas on design approaches, dismantling and reinstallation techniques, logistical solutions, and operational challenges through presentation sessions, technical tours, and open discussions. The next workshop will be held in autumn 2026 at the Paul Scherrer Institute in Switzerland, where SLS 2.0 — the new synchrotron light source — has just entered operation, following the removal of the previous accelerator. Another concrete example of how innovation is built on solid technical foundations and a strong network of international collaboration. |
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