Cryogenics support to CERN
CERN ("Conseil Européen pour la Recherché Nucléaire") have awarded Serco, in partnership with Air Liquide and Linde Kryoteknic, the contract for the Operation and Maintenance of the Liquide Helium Cryogenic plants including the Cryomagnet Test Facilities. Today CERN operates 19 helium cryoplants (refrigerators and helium liquefiers) which supply cooling to the particle accelerators, to detector magnets and to the cryogenic facilities.
The Laboratory provides state-of-the-art scientific facilities for researchers to use. These are accelerators, which accelerate tiny particles to a fraction under the speed of light, and detectors to make the particles visible. CERN employs just under 3000 people, encompassing a wide range of skills and trades; engineers, technicians, craftsmen, administrators, secretaries, workmen etc. Some 6500 scientists, half of the world's particle physicists, come to CERN for their research. They represent 500 universities and over 80 nationalities.
The physics requires ever-higher energy levels for particle beams. To meet these demands with reasonable electrical power consumption, CERN makes broad use of superconduction techniques at cryogenic temperatures both for obtaining accelerating fields (superconducting radio-frequency cavities) and for magnetic fields (superconducting magnets).
The Serco led team are responsible for: maintenance and breakdown repairs, operation and monitoring of cryoplants in production, operation and monitoring of new or upgraded cryoplants, and operation and monitoring of the cryomagnet test facilities.