Multidisciplinary team
Thermal, hydraulic, mechanical, control, and safety tasks are tightly coupled. Designers, researchers, programmers, and process engineers must align around one working system.
Mega-science · JINR, Dubna
NICA / MPD
NICA is one of the major mega-science projects building a superconducting collider and detectors at JINR. Our contribution is a water-based precision thermal stabilization system for MPD detector subsystems.
The engineering challenge
Stabilize the working gas mixture to ±0.1 K while keeping water pressure in a narrow sub-atmospheric band (about 0.15–0.95 atm) to prevent leaks onto electronics. Detector height drives hydrostatic pressure: too high risks leaks, too low increases cavitation.
System scale
~118
Independent circuits
1000+
Sensors
3
Subsystems
>20 km
Cabling
>5 km
Tubing
~10
PLCs
Engineering practice
This talk is about engineering logic, not status alone: from requirements and balances to modelling, test stands, modular build, and staged commissioning.
Whole system first
Define functions, elements, and links first. Mass and heat balances set operating boundaries. Critical zones are refined with local modelling and measurements.
Test stands reduce risk
Three generations of vacuum test stands (2022–2025): closed loop, PLC, heaters, heat exchange, pneumatic valves, and sub-circuits — before full site assembly.
Modular parallel delivery
Pump, manifold, tank, and electronics modules are fabricated and tested separately, then integrated on site.
Control and safety
Control architecture is part of the system: filling, draining, start-up, and shutdown. Semi-automatic modes reveal deviations and refine logic.
Real detector integration
Piping and cabling constraints are tighter than the initial concept. Layered installation, interfaces, and access are engineering work — not a final formality.
Measurement accuracy
For TPC thermometry we built a hardware–software calibration pipeline for ADC modules and Pt100 sensors: separate paths for RTD, AI, and 4–20 mA loops, per-channel coefficients, and a monitoring web UI. Target inter-channel consistency is ±0.02 °C.
On site
Clips from installation and equipment of the MPD cooling system.