Operation of 1074 HTS Current Leads at the LHC: Overview of Three Years of Powering the Accelerator

The powering of the LHC machine relies on more than 3000 current leads transferring all together about 3 MA of current from/to the superconducting magnets. Among these leads, more than 1000 are based on high-temperature superconducting material. This paper reports on the experience gained after the first 3 years of operation in a real accelerator environment, where the leads underwent the thermal and electrical cycles required for the operation of the machine. Faulty conditions experienced during operation are also reported.