Imat

Imat will be the first time that neutron radiography, tomography and diffraction techniques are available on a single instrument, making it a unique facility for testing of engineering components and materials analysis.

The construction of the instrument has started. Concrete shielding blocks are being installed in the experimental hall and the first sections of the Imat neutron guide will be put in place shortly. Construction of the Imat extension building outside the main experimental hall is now well underway.

ChipIr

Chipir will be an instrument for rapid testing of the effects of high energy neutrons on electronic systems. Substantial progress has been made with construction over the past year. Large concrete blocks, an electronically shielded room, beam-stop and sample positioning table have recently appeared in the second target station hall. The concrete sections form part of the substantial block-house which has been designed to contain the MeV neutron beam that will mimic atmospheric cosmic ray neutrons once the instrument is completed next year.

“It’s great to see it turning from a plan on piece of paper to a reality” said Chipir instrument scientist Chris Frost. “The team and I have been working for a number of years on the idea of having an instrument that can study the reliability of modern electronics in this way, and it’s fantastic that it’s finally underway.”

Build progress of Chipir, September 2012 

Larmor

Larmor will be a multi-purpose instrument for small angle neutron scattering (SANS), diffraction and spectroscopy utilising the Larmor precession of polarised neutrons. Larmor will provide a suite of techniques not currently possible at ISIS and will also expand the range of spatial and temporal length scales to new areas.

The Larmor guide, blockhouse and shielding will be installed before the end of 2012. The bulk of the major instrument components such as the polarising system and sample stack are now being manufactured, with many due to be installed during 2013. The significant investment from the Netherlands and TU-Delft (see ISIS News) in the development and construction of the spin-echo components of the instrument will continue in parallel, with the aim to deliver spin echo SANS (SESANS) and Larmor diffraction at the earliest possible opportunity.

Zoom

The detailed design and actual construction is under way for Zoom, a flexible small angle neutron scattering (SANS) beamline capable of polarised and grazing incidence SANS. The delivery of key components, like the JJ X-ray sample stack, the 11m long detector vacuum tank and the detector motion system, is expected in the autumn of 2012.