<Li> Two vacuum leaks were found in July 2009, and the start of operations was further postponed to mid-November 2009 . </Li> <P> In both of its runs (2010 to 2012 and 2015), the LHC was initially run at energies below its planned operating energy, and ramped up to just 2 x 4 TeV energy on its first run and 2 x 6.5 TeV on its second run, below the design energy of 2 x 7 TeV . This is because massive superconducting magnets require considerable magnet training to handle the high currents involved without losing their superconducting ability, and the high currents are necessary to allow a high proton energy . The "training" process involves repeatedly running the magnets with lower currents to provoke any quenches or minute movements that may result . It also takes time to cool down magnets to their operating temperature of around 1.9 K (close to absolute zero). Over time the magnet "beds in" and ceases to quench at these lesser currents and can handle the full design current without quenching; CERN media describe the magnets as "shaking out" the unavoidable tiny manufacturing imperfections in their crystals and positions that had initially impaired their ability to handle their planned currents . The magnets over time and with training, gradually become able to handle their full planned currents without quenching . </P> <P> The first beam was circulated through the collider on the morning of 10 September 2008 . CERN successfully fired the protons around the tunnel in stages, three kilometres at a time . The particles were fired in a clockwise direction into the accelerator and successfully steered around it at 10: 28 local time . The LHC successfully completed its major test: after a series of trial runs, two white dots flashed on a computer screen showing the protons travelled the full length of the collider . It took less than one hour to guide the stream of particles around its inaugural circuit . CERN next successfully sent a beam of protons in an anticlockwise direction, taking slightly longer at one and a half hours due to a problem with the cryogenics, with the full circuit being completed at 14: 59 . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> Wikinews has related news: CERN says repairs to LHC particle accelerator to cost € 16.6 million </Td> </Tr> </Table>

When was the large hadron collider first turned on