Speaker
Description
The Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) will require expanded cryogenic capacity, with the existing RHIC 4.5 K helium plant providing cooling for superconducting magnets, SRF systems, and the new detector magnet, as well as supplying and processing return helium for three new 2 K satellite plants around the EIC ring. Built in the early 1980s and refurbished for RHIC in the 1990s, the plant has operated reliably for 25 years but will face significantly higher loads: power rising from 7 MW to 9.5 MW and circulation increasing from 2,000 g/s to 3,000 g/s.
To meet these demands, five major end‑of‑life replacement and optimization projects are planned. These include replacement of Rotoflow turbo‑expander fluid control units, renewal of large intercooler and aftercooler heat exchangers, modernization of plant controls with new PLC-based systems, replacement of cooling tower #7, and upgrades to cold‑end heat exchangers and the final gas‑bearing turbo‑expander. Completion by 2030 will support commissioning of the first 2 K satellite plant. Reducing the plant’s helium leak rate—now elevated after the final years of RHIC operations—is also a key objective, driven by both operational reliability and rising helium costs.
This work is supported by Brookhaven Science Associates, LLC under Contract No. DE-SC0012704 with the U.S. Department of Energy.