Speaker
Description
The NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) is returning to scientific operations following an extended outage initiated in January 2021 due to a damaged reactor fuel element. An extensive cleanup effort in 2022 established safe operating conditions within regulatory limits, however, routine operations were inhibited by a small quantity of damaged element debris (~1-3 g) still present in the reactor vessel after the initial cleanup.
In 2024 the NCNR kicked off a new project to disassemble the vessel for further cleaning ahead of a return to scientific operations. Concurrent with this reactor recovery project, the facility has executed major upgrades to its three oldest cold neutron guide lines (NG-5, NG-6, and NG-7) and the associated guide support systems. Replacing legacy optics with modern supermirrors and optimized guide geometries will improve data rates by a factor of 2-10 for the nine instruments served by these guide lines.
This presentation will detail the key engineering and design challenges associated with the reactor recovery and guide line upgrade projects and will discuss the return to scientific operations and beyond at the NCNR.
Key Words
Facility Overview, Neutron Guide Systems, Reactor Recovery, Facility Development
| Other | Neutron Facility Overview |
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