STFC and Fieldhouse Engineering - connecting UK industry with Big Science

While UK firms can win contracts directly with #BigScience facilities, there are other opportunities to engage, either with an academic partner or non-profit organisations, including STFC. Fieldhouse Engineering Ltd is an engineering design consultancy based in Somerset. Experienced cryogenic engineer Damien Fieldhouse started the company in 2019 with his brother, working from his home, to provide cost effective design services. One of the first large contracts they won was the design of cryogenic pipework for STFC’s National Satellite Test Facility (NSTF), this then led onto the manufacture, install and commissioning of this system. In 2024 they won a contract from STFC Technology Department to deliver cryogenic assembly lines that will be installed in CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) as part of a major upgrade.

The High Luminosity upgrade (HiLumi) aims to maximise the discovery potential of CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) by increasing its luminosity (rate of collisions) by a factor of five. This will allow scientists to better observe extremely rare processes and could unlock the secrets of dark matter and dark energy. HiLumi will push accelerator technology beyond its current limits with innovations like the flagship superconducting radio frequency crab cavities which will sit within the LHC’s beamline to rotate the proton bunches, mimicking head-on collisions.

STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory and Lancaster University made key contributions to the delivery of the first prototype crab cavity cryomodule that was successfully installed at CERN in 2018, and subsequently won a contract to assemble five Crab Cavity Cryomodules, including a second prototype and four series cryomodules for HiLumi. Fieldhouse Engineering were awarded the job of manufacturing 4 sets of cryogenic lines, with 14 assemblies in each set to be installed in the LHC. This included undertaking high-specification welding, visual and radiographic inspection of the welds, helium leak and pressure testing and metrology. STFC worked with Fieldhouse to validate the work, ensuring it all met the challenging specifications from CERN.

Damien Fieldhouse is the director of Fieldhouse Engineering. He says, “This was an unusual project for us because we usually focus just on the design aspect, however, the equipment had already been designed. So instead our skills were put to use designing bespoke jigs so that all parts, including the fragile bellows sections could be manufactured within tolerance and metrology verified. These jigs were conveniently designed to also ensure we could safely pressure test the lines. Having worked on the National Satellite Test Facility we knew the standard needed to be very high and we spent a significant time updating our internal production processes before we started the job to deliver exactly what CERN needed.”

“CERN are very meticulous as a customer, which is understandable considering the research they carry out. As a relatively young company we needed to review our internal policies and question the way we do things to meet CERN’s very stringent quality standards. For example, we developed our manufacturing and inspection plan which documented each step of the process, including, part acceptance, part metrology, cleaning, welding, radiography, post weld cleaning, helium leak testing, pressure testing, marking, wrapping and packing and delivery to Daresbury. We’ve really learnt a lot during the course of the project, and STFC have been very helpful as well. We have raised our standards and we can now offer this process as standard rather than viewing it as a bespoke process for each job.”

As Fieldhouse were primarily a design consultancy, this was something of a change of direction, but not too challenging. Damien says, “We didn’t need to do the design work here, but we did have a really detailed understanding of the process, and we worked with another colleague with significant experience in manufacturing and welding who was keen to support us. Completing the project has given us confidence as a UK company to bid for these international opportunities.”

It has also led to the company expanding.