A Stroll through History...

In October of 1993, a 140-ton MRIS magnet was delivered to the University of Illinois.  At the time of its construction, the magnet was one of four high-field imaging systems in the world designed to create images of the human body.  It was the only one with enough shielding to operate without adversely affecting nearby computers.

During initial testing in January of 1994, the magnet suffered "an asymmetrical quench" and because the electrical current was not distributed evenly, the magnet slammed into one side of its metal casing, breaking internal supports and causing serious damage.  The cost of the repairs necessary and the low possibility of recovery finally led the University to transfer the ownership of the 4.7 Tesla MRIS Magnet to the University of California where it could be studied and perhaps re-constructed.

The magnet was housed in the basement of the Beckman Institute and now the space it previously occupied is being re-designed to house ALICE.  There is much work to be done in order to ensure that ALICE has the proper environment.

The space where ALICE will be located has been completely re-worked to accommodate the large cube and the technology that supports it.  Additional rooms also are being re-conditioned for the supporting hardware.

One of largest challenges was the enormous glass piping that ran along the middle of the ceiling.  This pipe carries excess acid from the laboratories throughout Beckman and is not only expensive, but fragile as well.  There was not enough room for ALICE underneath it, so the pipe had to be moved.   In other words, the new piping was bent around the area which ALICE will inhabit.

All the wiring had to be re-routed and the plumbing and ventilation have also been re-constructed.  

The air ducts had to be changed from galvanized steel to aluminum and the air flow space was widened.

All the walls have been dry-walled and insulation has been installed in order to reduce the amount of noise in the room.