NGS Operations
Sample Environment and Ancillary Equipment At The IPNS
"Providing the vehicle for your journey through phase space."
Neutron diffraction is a powerful tool for structural studies of samples in special
sample environments because of the high penetrating power of neutrons compared to x-rays.
The Intense Pulsed Neutron Source (IPNS) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) offers its users a
variety of sample environments for pulsed neutron scattering and diffraction experiments.
At the present time 80% of all experiments performed at the IPNS involve some type of
ancillary equipment to control the sample environment. These include closed cycle
refrigerators, cryostats, furnaces, magnets, and pressure cells. There are also devices
for automatic sample changing, positioning, and orienting. Most instruments have, at a
minimum, a dedicated closed cycle refrigerator (10K - RT) configured for the instrument's
particular sample dimensions and scattering angles. A standardization in instrument sample
well dimensions, process control equipment, and control software has made multi-instrument
use of many of the furnaces and cryostats possible. General use, multi-instrument
equipment is maintained by the facility's Sample Environment Team. Instrument dedicated
equipment is maintained by the respective instrument scientist with help from the
ancillary equipment support personnel. The design and upgrading of equipment is done by
the ancillary equipment engineer with the oversight and input of instrument scientists,
instrument engineer, and technical staff. Ancillary equipment conception and design is
science driven, with the instrument scientists and often even users providing the initial
input for design criteria.
You can view the different types of ancillary equipment available at the IPNS
categorized by sample environment or by specific neutron scattering instrument . An overview of our ancillary equipment support facilities and a listing of
recent ancillary equipment publications by the IPNS Sample Environment Team, Instrument personnel, or IPNS users is also
available.
Sample Environment Scheduled Calendar
The sample environment scheduling calendar can be veiwed via the Outlook Web Access. This is a secure web page requiring an ANL domain sign-on.
If you have experienced a LESS THAN OPTIMAL OPERATION with any piece of sample environment or ancillary equipment please make an entry in our Sample Environment Equipment Problems Notebook. You may also submit an email to Ken Volin detailing the problem and any resolution that took place. Suggestions or comments about our equipment or it's operation are always welcomed.
Sample Environment News
- As of January 2, 2008, the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source has ceased operation as a neutron scattering facility due to fiscal year 2008 budgetary short falls for the US DOE Office of Science - Scientific User Facilities.
- The Fifth International Workshop on Sample Environment at Neutron Scattering Facilities will be held May 26-29, 2008, at Villard de Lans, France. Hosted by the ILL, pre-registration can be made by sending an email to E. Lelièvre-Berna.
- We were all deeply saddened by the recent passing of Jim Jorgensen after a long battle with cancer. In his honor, the Neutron and X-Ray Scattering (NXRS) group in the Argonne Materials Science Division is organizing a Symposium on "Opportunities in Neutron Powder Diffraction", that will celebrate recent developments in a field to which Jim made so many seminal contributions, including high pressure neutron scattering techniques. It will highlight progress in both science and instrumentation, with contributions from leading scientists and colleagues with whom Jim interacted as a scientist and as a person. All those who want to celebrate his scientific achievements and discover their relevance to future research opportunities are invited to attend.
- The Fourth International Workshop on Sample Environment at Neutron Scattering Facilities was held September 6-8, 2006 at Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois USA. Follow this link for the history of this workshop series along with past presentations.
- A Sample Environment Breakout Session was held at the American Conference on Neutron Scattering (ACNS) , Pheasant Run Resort, St. Charles, IL, June 18-22, 2006. Reports of new capabilities and equipment upgrades at the IPNS/ANL, SNS/HFIR/ORNL, and NCNR/NIST were presented. A hands on demonstration of a novel method for sealing low temperature vanadium cans with helium was presented by Jim Rix of CRI, Evanston, IL.
- Operating manuals for many of our sample environment controllers and other equipment are available in PDF format - June/2006.
- GPPD initiates in-situ humidity measurement during adiffraction experiment using a hygrometer cell. This is the first in-situ scattering measurement of an inorganic anhydrous-to-anhydrous phase transition promoted by humidity - May/2006.
- Tentative: McHugh Cell used for first low temperture SANS experiment on SAND. The McHugh Cell, a sapphire window pressure cell, has been recently cycled to 30 kpsi (2 kbar or 207 MPa) at temperatures as low as 250K.
- Hydraulics International Gas Booster commissioned for user experiments. A new gas booster, capable of generating helium pressures up to 60 kpsi (4 kbar or 0.4 GPa) has been successfully commissioned on the GLAD instrument - March/2006.
- A new pressure cell has been design, fabricated, and commissioned to perform in-situ hydriding/dehydriding of a sample at moderate temperatures and pressures. The cell, machined from Inconel, has a design pressure rating of 1500 psig (10 MPa) at 500C (773K). This cell has been used with a Seivert Apparatus to do hydrogen adsorption studies on metal hydrides.
- Howe (aka Leicester) Furnace modified for controlled atmospheres. The Howe Furnace has been adapted to accept a fused silica tube with a coarse frit installed just below the sample position. This allows a measured stream of gas to flow across the sample at temperatures up to 1100C.
- Oxford Instruments 7T Magnet commissioned on the SEPD - August/2005.
- Harwood Engineering Gas Intensifier commissioned for user experiments using new inelastic pressure cell on HRMECS. The new aluminum inelastic cell has a helium pressure rating of 70 kpsi (4.6 kbar or 483 MPa) and a sample volume of 8cc - March/2005.
- Janis Research Triple-Axis Cryo-Magnet commissioned on POSY.
Sample Environment and Ancillary Equipment Contact:
KenNETH J. VOlin
Phone: 1-630-252-6092
Pager: 1-630-722-3332
E-mail: kjvolin@anl.gov
Intense Pulsed Neutron Source Division
Argonne National Laboratory
9700 South Cass Avenue
Argonne, IL 60439-4814
Last Update:
January 9, 2008
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