Refurbishment of slightly radioactive magnet coils from a big proton accelerator

Using CERN's 450 GeV proton synchrotron as injector for LHC requires a rather flexible solution for spares, where the supply can be adjusted to the needs of the 20 years old main magnet system. Most magnet coils, especially those having suffered insulation damage, are slightly radioactive, with Co60 dominating in the copper windings and Na22 in the glass fibre reinforced epoxy insulation. Refurbishment of the damaged coils has several advantages and is worthwhile doing but depends strongly on the availability of a furnace meeting the constraints of modern legislation. Such a furnace is described in more detail. Questions concerning coil manufacture, burning of epoxy insulation, environmental protection and handling are discussed based on the experience with SPS-main dipole coils.