Performance reach of the "phase 1" LHC collimation system

State-of-the-art tracking tools have been developed for detailed LHC collimation and beam loss studies. This includes full chromatic treatment of both beam lines and error models. This paper reviews the main results on the performance reach of the multi-stage LHC collimation system that is being installed in the LHC. Limitations on the allowed proton loss rates and the stored intensity can be derived from the comparison of local losses with estimated quench limits for the superconducting magnets. The origins of the cleaning-related performance limitations are presented and possible improvements are discussed.