Shutdown Activities from 

2020-2021

QIANG (ALAN) YE

SEPTEMBER, 2021
y/g 

 Big Blue cryostat

 CT dewar

 SD55

 Oxford Dil

 All five superconducting magnets (3T, 7T, 9T, 10T, 11T, 15T)

 Cross training with other staff member

 10T training with Yegor and Tanya in 2020

 Working with Cedric on LIPPS and PMI

 Maintenance of equipments

 Hiden Analytical Mass Spectrometer

 9T silicon sample well, power supply, loose Al foil, bent LN2 shie10T demagnetization of DCS

 15T VTI installed and leak tested

 Replace all 18+ computers in SE group
 New compressors for HFBS and NSE TLCCR

 4-channel potentiostat for electro-chemistry users

 Specialty projects

 Neutron Spin Echo Vacuum box

 Carbon Fiber Sample Stick Testing at HFBS and in OC

 ICE dil fridge Silicon IVC for SANS experiment

 Future projects

 Design and make new silicon tail for Candor CCR

 Design more carbon fiber sample sticks for different systems

 New lighter 9T LN2 shield

 Combine OC with Titan magnet

 Remote control of compressors at PBR (with Tanya Dax)

 Oxford dil fridge insert test with SANS 50mm OC and make a Silicon IVC for it

 Make a new cart for the Hiden Analytical mass spectrometer

 3-syringe-pump system
 Big Blue cryostat

 CT dewar

 SD55

 Oxford Dil

 All six superconducting magnets (3T, 7T, 9T, 10T, 11T, 15T)

 Most lifting documents have been submitted for initial review 

and we are waiting from the lifting committee. 3T magnet’s 

cart is being designed by Yegor and lifting documents will be 

submitted once the design is completed.
 10T training with Yegor and Tanya in 2020 but the experiment cancelled

 Working with Cedric on LIPPS and PMI

 Test the complete LIPPS & PMI system with Cedric Gagnon

 Improve the stability of the labview control programs

 Will have dedicated computers for LIPPS and PMI system separately

 Making the system more user-friendly

 Wrote a manual with more details
 Hiden Analytical Mass Spectrometer

 9T silicon sample well, power supply, loose Al foil, bent LN2 shie10T 

demagnetization of DCS

 10T maintenance

 15T VTI installed and leak tested

 Replace all 18+ computers in SE group
 Can detect mass from 1 to 100

 Four detection modes  Profile Mode: Scan thru different masses, including the masses between the 

integer masses, like 4.1,4.2,4.3...5,5.1,5.2.....  Bar Mode: Scan thru only integer masses. Like from 2,3,4,...

 MID Mode: Can detect a number of masses as a function of time  Leak Detect Mode: Can detect one mass as a function of time, usually used 

with helium for leak testing.

 Operation manual completed

 Wei Zhou and Jamie were using it for the last few months

 Jamie: Develop new low ppm H in Ti standards for the aeronautics 

industry

 Wei Zhou: Measure the gas composition leaving the dynamic column 

breakthrough apparatus for CO2 capture. NIST Direct Air Capture (DAC) -

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) project: 

https://inet.nist.gov/adlp/nist-direct-air-capture-dac-carboncapture-utilization-storage-ccus-working-group

 Making a cart for it and its computer to move around easier
 Small leak in the sample well

 Base T was 2K at sample position

 Helium evaporation rate was ~6mm/hr (max 

240mm, min 40mm) when not ramping

 Power supply has a non-zero offset of about 

1.6A

 Helium level couldn’t be read remotely due 

to the analog helium level meter

 Quench happened in early 2021
 Old quartz cell has cracks

 Replaced by Silicon cell

 No more leak from the sample well
from Cryomagnetics

 Old IPS120-10 power supply has strange zero B field offsets

 Replace with 4G-150 PS from Cryomagnetics.

 Replaced the 120A current leads with new ones
Helium Shield

 Since last quench, we opened up 9T with the help of Donna to check the 

physical conditions of different components.

 Cleaned up a lot of loose Al tape between liquid N2 and helium shields.

 Those are the reasons why helium evaporation rate was not stable over the last 

few years.
Fixed by 

Doug’s 

group

New liquid helium level 

sensor and readout
level sensor and power supply

 Base T 1.55K@0T and 1.6K@9T (-9T)

 Helium consumption

 -4.7mm/hour when not ramping

 ~14mm mm from 0T to 9T

 ~8 mm from 9T to 0T

 The temperature is much lower than before (~2K). Same level 

as the OC. Entire system is much more stable.
pgg 

cart

 Change the computer and all software

 Temperature sensor cables make fischer connection extension cables so 

now all cables are much longer and easier to reach anywhere

 Testing with Tim Reeder, Collin Broholm’s microwave setup. We cooled 

down the microwave setup to below 2K and did EPR measurements by 

applying microwave pulses and watch the decay of signals from the 

sample at different magnetic fileds.

 Demagnetization of 10T at DCS and it works for the 3He group

 Change B fields -10 T -> 9 T -> -8 T -> 7 T -> -6 T -> 5 T -> -4 T-> 3 T

-> -2 T -> 1 T-> -0.5 T -> 0.2 T -> -0.1 T -> 0.05 T -> -0.02 T -> 0.01 T -> 0 T
 VTI had a leak which caused a quench in 2019.

 Oxford sent engineer to NCNR to help us take 

out the VTI from 15T and sent it back to Oxford 

in early 2020

 VTI fixed and sent back to NIST in late 2020

 Engineer came to install VTI back into 15T. 

Donna, Sergiy and I helped him with the entire 

process

 Leak tested at room T and no leak was found

 Will perform low T test on VTI and lambda fridge

 Need new current leads for field test

 15T will be sent back for a full refurbishment in 

2023 for the new SPINS and BT7.
Location IP Property # Form factor

Top of HFBS 129.6.227.134, 229.218 PG906394 small

3He Dipper for OC 129.6.225.108 G906395 small wireless

Gas loading cart 129.6.123.27 931980 small

highbay Paul Neves (hard to get) 129.6.123.95 859372 small

MUZAC, PMI, LIPPS 129.6.123.211 859369 small

7T 3He Dipper 129.6.252.220 G906396 small

9T 129.6.122.144 862189 small

ICE DR 129.6.121.197 PG901070 small wireless

Oxford DR 129.6.227.64 PG901071 small wireless

CCR area new guide hall 129.6.225.88 PG906399 small with 90W PS, wireless

SE area with 425 Gauss Meter 129.6.226.96 PG906398 small

11T 129.6.121.125 PG904040 small with 90W PS

10T 129.6.120.198 PG905773 small

syringe pump 129.6.122.171 859366 small

SE area, moving 129.6.230.127 PG906401 small

SE area, moving 129.6.120.59 PG901810 desktop 8700

129.6.224.80 PG906397

129.6.225.126 PG906400
and NSE TLCCR

 New compressors for HFBS and NSE TLCCR

 CNA-31C Compressors getting old and no longer 

being serviced by manufacturers

 Sent out paperwork to purchase new FA-40L 

compressors to work with the current RDK-305D cold 

heads on HFBS and NSE TLCCR

 Two FA-40L compressors are on the way
chemistry experiments

 Market research of different types of potentiostats

 Refresh myself with the electrochemistry and how it works with batteries so 

that we can support the users better once the new potentiostat arrives.

VSP300 from Biologic

Interface 1010E 

Galvanostat/ZRA from 

Gamry

Ivium-n-Stat with

4 channels MultiPalmSens4
p

base pressure with 

box’s valve closed

base pressure with 

box’s valve open

 Now users are able to perform neutron 

experiments with samples in vacuum or 

under inert gas atmosphere
 Carbon fiber pros and cons:

 Pros:  High Strength to Weight Ratio (also known as specific strength), very rigid measured by its Young Modulus  Low thermal conductivity in epoxy  Low Coefficient of Thermal Expansion  Corrosion Resistant and Chemically Stable, non-poisonous, biologically inert, X-ray permeable  Good fatigue resistance and tensile strength, Non-Flammable

 Cons:  Electrically Conductive  Relatively Expensive  As brittle as supercars (light and strong enough to handle the weight of the sample stick)

 Significantly reduce the thermal mass inside the cryostat. Cooling time shortened greatly 

to save neutron beam time.

 For OC, cooling time from 300K to base T reduced from 30 minutes to 5 minutes

 For HFBS TLCCR, cooling time from 300K to base T reduced from 5.2 hrs to 4.8 hrs

 More sample sticks are being designed to fit in the HFBS TLCCR and orange cryostat for 

MACS and neutron spin echo TLCCR.
 HFBS TLCCR has problem reaching 

high T.

 Use Turbo to pump out the sample 

well.

 New Labview control program to 

open the valve intermittently to 

pump out the exchange gas

 Smaller sample stage

 Smaller heat shield

 Use carbon fiber stick

 Users can reach 700K every time on 

HFBS TLCCR

 Madhu is trying the entire process.
gp

 Working with Jonanthan

and Yegor to reach lower 

temperatures in SANS 

experiments

 Used with ICE dil fridge in 

SANS Orange Cryostat

 Reached base T below 

80mK with Yegor running 

the ICE dil fridge

 Inner diameter 1.1” 

 Designing holders for 

SANS experiment
 Design more carbon fiber sample sticks for different systems

 New lighter 9T LN2 shield

 Combine OC with Titan magnet

 Remote control of compressors at PBR (with Tanya Dax)

 Oxford dil fridge insert test with SANS 50mm OC and make a Silicon IVC for it

 Make a new cart for the Hiden Analytical mass spectrometer
 Working with Juscelino and Yun Liu 

 Part of the “NIST Direct Air Capture (DAC) - Carbon Capture, 

Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Working Group”

 Make new programs for the 3-syringe-pump system for different 

working modes

3 2 1
 Cross training with Cedric on LIPPS and PMI  Procurement: New compressors for HFBS and NSE TLCCR  Procurement: 4-channel potentiostat for electro-chemistry users  Neutron Spin Echo Vacuum box  ICE dil fridge Silicon IVC for SANS experiment  10T magnet

 In progress:  Safety/Lifting documents  Maintenance: New cart for Hiden Analytical Mass Spectrometer  Maintenance: 9T new LN2 shield and cold test  Maintenance: 15T cold test  Maintenance: Replace computers in SE group  Oxford dil fridge Silicon IVC for SANS experiment  Design and make new silicon tail for Candor CCR  Design more carbon fiber sample sticks for different systems  Combine OC with Titan magnet  Remote control of compressors at PBR (with Tanya Dax)  3-syringe-pump system