Radiation protection challenges for the Large Hadron Collider upgrade.

In the context of the so-called Long Shutdown 3 (2026-2028), the Large Hadron Collider will be upgraded to the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider, allowing for approximately five more instantaneous collisions. The upgrade, maintenance and decommissioning of equipment will be mainly performed in the experimental insertions of Points 1 and 5, requiring to perform multiple interventions in high-residual radiation environment. This poses complex radiological challenges that the CERN Radiation Protection group is called to address.

Qualification of the activities measured by gamma spectrometry on unitary items of intermediate-level radioactive waste from particle accelerators.

In the frame of maintenance, upgrade and dismantling activities, activated equipment are removed from the accelerator complex and require characterization in view of their disposal as radioactive waste. The characterization process consists of a series of radiation measurements, complemented by analytical studies, which quantify the activity of radionuclides inside an object. A fraction of the radioactive waste produced at CERN presents contact dose-rates higher than 100 μSv/h, and can therefore be classified as LILW Waste ("Low and intermediate level radioactive waste").