From this higher vantage point, the 90-degree angle built into the cryobridge is visible. The sharp turn adds complexity to the design of the structure, as the pressurized flow of cryogenic fluids at this location will cause intense traction forces on the rack's structure.
This extreme sturdiness, combined with a certain flexibility, is part of anti-seismic and blast protection measures and is also a response to the loads and forces the cryobridge will have to withstand. "The dead load on the cryobridge—meaning the total weight to be supported—is in the range of 200 tonnes," explains Benoît Villedary, the infrastructure engineer responsible for the racks. "But at the location of the 90-degree elbow where the pressurized flow of cryogenic fluids makes a sharp turn, we have to deal with the constant pushing and pulling of the cryolines, which generates intense traction forces on the rack's structure and can add a live load of more than one hundred tonnes during cryoline pressure tests."
A building near the Assembly Hall, hosting electrical equipment lends its heavy concrete central section for additional support to the structure. Eventually, the rack will be closed in and covered with the same ''barcode-like'' cladding as the building in the background.
Less complex because they run straight and are not submitted to live loads, the busbar bridges have requirements of their own. Thicker than railroad rails, the aluminium busbars carry current 7,000 times more intense than a heavy-duty electrical cable and, as a consequence, are actively cooled. As the electrical sensors that monitor the temperature and flow of the cooling water operate in a temperature range of 5 to 55 degrees Celsius, it is necessary to install HVAC systems inside the closed and insulated bridges, with just a few hatches for maintenance.
