About Technical Infrastructure

The Technical Infrastructure (TI) section operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, monitoring CERN’s infrastructure.

We are responsible for the Technical Infrastructure of what are known as machine buildings. These buildings house accelerators, experiments, and other important and critical installations, such as the Computing Centre.

This infrastructure includes systems like:

  • The electrical distribution network.
  • Heating, cooling, ventilation and air conditioning equipment.
  • Safety monitoring including fire and smoke detection systems.
  • Access control systems, badge readers, doors, barriers and special tunnel access points.
  • Communication devices such as routers and switches.
  • Environment monitoring, namely discharge water monitoring.
  • Coordination of teams and follow up after major infrastructure disruptions.

The electrical distribution network

CERN’s accelerator complex is powered on the French side by a 400 kV high voltage power line and a second 130 kV emergency line coming from Switzerland.

Control signals at CERN are mainly 48 V driven.

From the arrival at 400 kV AC all the way to the 48 V DC control signals, everything is monitored through PSEN, the CERN electrical network monitoring SCADA.

chillers

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning

At CERN a huge amount of cooling power is needed. From big cooling towers and chillers to small ventilation systems and humidifiers. From big industrial grade boilers to small heat pumps.

The accelerators underground from LINAC4 to LHC are constantly being ventilated and monitored.

For the detectors, special CO2 cooling and vacuum systems are used to keep the experiments cool and safe.

The monitoring systems UNICOS and HelpAlarm help TI federate more than 284,000 alarm points.

Safety monitoring

Scattered across tunnels and surface buildings, Fire and Smoke detectors, evacuation sirens, fire doors and damper systems are controlled through Fire Detection Panels that transmit all the signals to the control room.

Each one of the safety systems at CERN is always redundant.

Access control systems

In order to access the accelerators safety is always first in mind, every door that has to be opened to access the LHC is monitored permanently.

A special permit is needed for every access to the tunnels, the Technical Infrastructure can grant access to the specialists that need to go on site when acting fast is decisive to solve a situation.

Communication devices

Every switch and router at CERN is part of a vast communication network. Critical IT alarms are federated through TI alarm monitoring systems to perform a first line assessment.

Environment monitoring

Technical infrastructure is also monitoring environmental devices such as Water Monitoring Stations that oversee the discharge water towards nine different rivers.

Protecting the environment and having a minimum impact on it is one of CERN’s highest priorities.

Major disruptions

The TI section is the hub in charge of coordinating teams and services during major disruptions that may impact CERN and beyond, always striving for swift resolution of any problem that arises.