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Earlier today, we completed the installation and alignment of the new guide glass in the TG1 thermal guide, signifying the end of guide glass installation for all four of OPAL's existing neutron guides (TG1, TG3, CG1 and CG3).
This work was completed approximately 3 days ahead of schedule.
A large team from Mirrotron, Bragg Institute and ANSTO Health Physics have contributed to this success: Gabor Laszlo, Tibor Gaspar, Norbert Lovay, Zsombor Santa and Gabor Sule from Mirrotron, Gene Davidson, Martin Jones, Steven Pangelis and Mark New from Bragg Institute and Anthony Overton and Reddy Induri from Health Physics, all under the leadership of Stewart Pullen.
A few minor tasks remain to be completed before the next OPAL shutdown on 24th February, during which the final removeable sections at the reactor face will be re-installed.
Performance testing of the thermal guides will then be done after the reactor re-start in the first week of March, with recommissioning of the cold guides a month later in early April.
Initially the CG1 and CG3 guides will be operated using thermal neutrons, pending the return to cold neutron service from OPAL.