General Purpose Small-Angle Neutron Scattering Instrument on HFIR Oak Ridge

Neutron News ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
K.C. Littrell ◽  
K.M. Atchley ◽  
G. Cheng ◽  
Y.B. Melnichenko ◽  
G.D. Wignall
2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 242-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. Heller ◽  
Matthew Cuneo ◽  
Lisa Debeer-Schmitt ◽  
Changwoo Do ◽  
Lilin He ◽  
...  

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is home to the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), a high-flux research reactor, and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), the world's most intense source of pulsed neutron beams. The unique co-localization of these two sources provided an opportunity to develop a suite of complementary small-angle neutron scattering instruments for studies of large-scale structures: the GP-SANS and Bio-SANS instruments at the HFIR and the EQ-SANS and TOF-USANS instruments at the SNS. This article provides an overview of the capabilities of the suite of instruments, with specific emphasis on how they complement each other. A description of the plans for future developments including greater integration of the suite into a single point of entry for neutron scattering studies of large-scale structures is also provided.


2011 ◽  
Vol 1334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dipendu Saha ◽  
Lilin He ◽  
Cristian I. Contescu ◽  
Nidia C. Gallego ◽  
Yuri B. Melnichenko

ABSTRACTEntrapping hydrogen molecules within the nanopores of solid adsorbents serves as a unique alternative for on-board storing of hydrogen for transportation purposes. The key advantage of the physisorption process for hydrogen storage is the higher density values achieved with the adsorbed gas, compared to that of the compressed phase, translating into higher storage capacities at lower pressures. The necessary condition for effective adsorption is the presence of narrow micropores of < 2 nm in width which provide the most suitable environment of hydrogen adsorption. Despite numerous theoretical calculations or indirect experimental estimations, there has not been a direct experimental measurement of the density of adsorbed hydrogen as a function of pressure and/or pore size. In the present study, we report on the use of in-situ small angle neutron scattering (SANS) to study the phase behavior of hydrogen confined in narrow micropores. We provide for the first time direct experimental measurements of the effect of pore size and pressure on hydrogen adsorbed on a polyfurfuryl alcohol-derived activated carbon (PFAC), at room temperature and pressures up to 207 bar. SANS studies were carried out at the General-Purpose Small-Angle Neutron Scattering spectrometer of the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The measurements covered the Q-range from 0.01 to 0.8 Å-1, covering the pores in the range of 9 to 34 Å of the PFAC material. Initial results suggest that the density of adsorbed hydrogen is higher than the density of bulk hydrogen gas and increases with decreasing pore size.


Neutron News ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 22-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
William T. Heller ◽  
Gary W. Lynn ◽  
Volker S. Urban ◽  
Kevin Weiss ◽  
Dean A.A. Myles

2019 ◽  
Vol 219 ◽  
pp. 07002
Author(s):  
L.J. Broussard ◽  
K.M. Bailey ◽  
W.B. Bailey ◽  
J.L. Barrow ◽  
K. Berry ◽  
...  

The possibility of relatively fast neutron oscillations into a mirror neutron state is not excluded experimentally when a mirror magnetic field is considered. Direct searches for the disappearance of neutrons into mirror neutrons in a controlled magnetic field have previously been performed using ultracold neutrons, with some anomalous results reported. We describe a technique using cold neutrons to perform a disappearance and regeneration search, which would allow us to unambiguously identify a possible oscillation signal. An experiment using the existing General Purpose-Small Angle Neutron Scattering instrument at the High Flux Isotope Reactor at Oak Ridge National Laboratory will have the sensitivity to fully explore the parameter space of prior ultracold neutron searches and confirm or refute previous claims of observation. This instrument can also conclusively test the validity of recently suggested oscillation-based explanations for the neutron lifetime anomaly.


2010 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1068-1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. K. Zhao ◽  
C. Y. Gao ◽  
D. Liu

The extendedQ-range small-angle neutron scattering diffractometer (EQ-SANS) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), Oak Ridge, is designed for wide neutron momentum transfer (Q) coverage, high neutron beam intensity and good wavelength resolution. In addition, the design and construction of the instrument aim to achieve a maximum signal-to-noise ratio by minimizing the background. The instrument is located on the high-power target station at the SNS. One of the key components in the primary flight path is the neutron optics, consisting of a curved multichannel beam bender and sections of straight neutron guides. They are optimized to minimize neutron transport loss, thereby maximizing the available flux on the sample. They also enable the avoidance of a direct line of sight to the neutron moderator at downstream locations. The instrument has three bandwidth-limiting choppers. They allow a novel frame-skipping operation, which enables the EQ-SANS diffractometer to achieve a dynamicQrange equivalent to that of a similar machine on a 20 Hz source. The two-dimensional low-angle detector, based on3He tube technologies, offers very high counting rates and counting efficiency. Initial operations have shown that the instrument has achieved its design goals.


2012 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 990-998 ◽  
Author(s):  
George D. Wignall ◽  
Kenneth C. Littrell ◽  
William T. Heller ◽  
Yuri B. Melnichenko ◽  
Kathy M. Bailey ◽  
...  

A series of upgrades have been undertaken at the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, including the installation of a supercritical hydrogen moderator (T≃ 20 K), which has boosted the flux of long-wavelength neutrons by over two orders of magnitude. In order to take advantage of the new capabilities, a 40 m-long small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument has been constructed, which utilizes a mechanical velocity selector, pinhole collimation and a high-count-rate (>105 Hz) large-area (1 m2) two-dimensional position-sensitive detector. The incident wavelength (λ), resolution (Δλ/λ), incident collimation and sample-to-detector distance are independently variable under computer control. The detector can be moved up to 45 cm off-axis to increase the overallQrange [<0.001 <Q= (4π/λ)sinθ < 1 Å−1, where 2θ is the angle of scatter]. The design and characteristics of this instrument are described, along with examples of scattering data to illustrate the performance.


2016 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Dewhurst ◽  
I. Grillo ◽  
D. Honecker ◽  
M. Bonnaud ◽  
M. Jacques ◽  
...  

The D33 small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instrument at the Institut Laue–Langevin (ILL) is the most recent SANS instrument to be built at the ILL. In a project beginning in 2005 and lasting seven years, the concept has been developed, and the instrument designed, manufactured and installed. D33 was commissioned with neutrons during the second half of 2012, fully entering the ILL user programme in 2013. The scientific case required that D33 should provide a wide dynamic range of measured scattering vector magnitudeq, flexibility with regard to the instrument resolution, and the provision of polarized neutrons and3He spin analysis to facilitate and expand studies in magnetism. In monochromatic mode, a velocity selector and a flexible system of inter-collimation apertures define the neutron beam. A double-chopper system enables a time-of-flight (TOF) mode of operation, allowing an enhanced dynamicqrange (qmax/qmin) and a flexible wavelength resolution. Two large multitube detectors extend the dynamicqrange further, givingqmax/qmin≃ 25 in monochromatic mode and a very largeqmax/qmin> 1000 in TOF mode. The sample zone is large and flexible in configuration, accommodating complex and bulky sample environments, while the position of D33 is such as to allow high magnetic fields at the sample position. The instrument is of general purpose with a performance rivalling that of D22, and is well adapted for SANS studies in scientific disciplines as diverse as solution scattering in biology and soft matter and studies of physics, materials science and magnetism. This article provides a detailed technical description of D33 and its performance and characterization of the individual components, and serves as a technical reference for users of the instrument.


2011 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 1120-1122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dazhi Liu ◽  
Kunlun Hong ◽  
Carrie Y. Gao ◽  
Yuri Melnichenko ◽  
Ken Littrell ◽  
...  

Initial experimental results are reported from the extendedQ-range small-angle neutron scattering (EQ-SANS) diffractometer at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). A generation-8 polyamidoamine dendrimer was measured and the conformation parameters (radius of gyration, thickness of the soft shelletc.) extracted by model fitting to the scattering data. The results are compared with data collected at the general-purpose small-angle neutron scattering (GP-SANS) beamline at the High-Flux Isotopic Reactor at ORNL and show that EQ-SANS is ready for scientific studies for the small-angle neutron scattering community.


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