Status and perspectives at Babcock Noell

Abstract

Babock Noell GmbH (BNG) is a magnet manufacturer known in particular for its engagement in large scale projects such as LHC or Wendelstein 7-X. The series production of 416 LHC Dipoles was successfully completed in 2006 and the fabrication of the 50 nonplanar coils was finished by the Wendelstein consortium in March this year. A number of large scale projects such as ITER and FAIR are in the short term horizon. Nevertheless BNG has proven broader capabilities, other than large scale production, which extend from feasibility studies, to prototyping and design optimization. Lately, for example, we are involved in prototyping dipoles for FAIR, manufacturing a high field Nb3Sn dipole for EFDA and developing a superconducting undulator for FZK. The aim of this presentation is to show the current status, capabilities, projects and future goals at BNG . INTRODUCTION TO BABCOCK NOELL Babcock Noell is active in the product areas of nuclear service, nuclear technology, magnet technology and environmental technology throughout the world and, in doing so, successfully implements the experience gained over four decades. With approximately 250 employees who are predominantly employed in the engineering area, our performance spectrum extends from the development, planning, supply and commissioning right up to the operating of the plants and equipment we supply. Already in the 70s Babcock Noell was providing components for large research facilities like, for example, the vacuum tank for the Petra accelerator ring in Hamburg. In the early 90s Babcock Noell entered in the field of magnet technology with the development of large superconducting magnet systems for high-energy physics and nuclear fusion. There then followed contracts for the series magnets for the fusion experiment “Wendelstein 7X” and the Hadron collider “LHC” in the research centre CERN, Geneva. A unique coil production was developed and an assembly plant established for these purposes. Today we design and produce magnets, coils, undulators and spectrometers for various international research facilities. We also undertake individual development tasks for these purposes. We have particular experience in the use of superconductors in magnet systems. LOOKING BACK AT LHC AND W7-X Magnet Manufacturing at Babcock Noell (BNG) was dominated by two large contracts in the beginning of the millenium: • 416 main dipole magnets for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN • 50 non-planar coils for the stellerator fusion experiment Wendelstein 7-X of the Max-PlanckInstitute for Plasma Physics at Greifswald Figure 1: LHC main dipole manufacturing at BNG Figure 2: Welding of a coil casing for a Wendelstein 7-X non-planar coil BNG produced in total 416 magnets about 30 tons each for the LHC, i.e. about 12,500 tons of superconducting magnets with a maximum production rate of about 3.5 magnets per week. Within the consortium Wendelstein, BNG produced 50 non-planar coils, which implied e.g. WAMSDO PROCEEDINGS