LOCAL ENGINEERING SKILLS TO GET THE HADRON COLLIDER RUNNING

A multi-billion pound experiment to unravel the mysteries of the universe will soon be back on track thanks to a Birmingham-based engineering company Scientists at CERN (The European Organisation for Nuclear Research) were all set to recreate the conditions found at the creation of the universe, milliseconds after the big bang, when a superconductor in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) failed - bringing the experiment to a grinding halt. To help repair the world’s largest and highest-energy particle accelerator, located on the Swiss-French border, scientists at CERN called on Birmingham-based precision pressings specialist Brandauer to supply 2,500 specially made pressure relief springs. Explained David Spears, managing director at Brandauer: “We were approached to design and manufacture springs for new valves that will prevent pressure build-up by allowing for more helium gas to be released in the event of a sudden increase in temperature within the LHC.” To achieve the quality required for such a high-pressure environment, the valve springs needed to be manufactured from beryllium-copper alloy and Brandauer is one of a few companies in Europe with the skills and expertise to work with this metal for such a specialist application. After spending a month working with the CERN scientists and engineers to develop the ideal design solution, Brandauer has almost completed the order and the new valves are currently being installed. Continued Mr Spears: “CERN came to us when they had a problem and this is the type of job at which we excel: a tough application with difficult metals and almost impossible deadlines. “It is also very encouraging to see some of the money that the UK Government invests in CERN being spent in the Midlands and the fact that the scientists turned to a British company for help reflects the country’s reputation for engineering excellence.” he added. ---- ENDS ---- Photography to accompany this piece: Brandauer MD, David Spears, with one of the pressure relief springs: Link for downloadable high res file: http://media.changeworkscom.co.uk/ext/1215/images/PR%20Photos/dspears_valves.jpg The LHC at CERN: Link for downloadable high res file: http://media.changeworkscom.co.uk/ext/1215/images/PR%20Photos/lhc.jpg Editor’s Notes

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