Diffraction apparatus

Tender description

The Authority has a requirement for a X-Ray Diffractometer (XRD) System. The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) is a non-departmental government body carrying out research into the potential of nuclear fusion as a future source of energy. UKAEA's Culham Science Centre houses the Materials Research Facility (MRF), which is part of the UK-wide National Nuclear User Facility (NNUF), which provides facilities for processing and scientific analysis of neutron irradiated materials that are too radioactive to be handled at university sites. UKAEA require an X-ray Diffractometer (XRD) system, which allows for phase identification and quantification, lattice parameter refinement, crystallographic texture measurements and residual stress analysis on radioactive materials. It has two specific requirements which sets it apart from conventional laboratory scale systems. — The XRD system needs to provide a bright monochromatic X-ray beam to achieve a sufficiently high signal to noise ratio with scan times in the order of a day in order to allow for the characterisation of irradiation induced defects (dislocation loops of sizes below 10 nm) using the advanced peak profile analysis approach recently developed by Preuss and co-workers at the University of Manchester using a synchroton X-ray source [References 1-3 below]. — As the system will be used on radioactive samples (with maximum activity 3,75 GBq Co60), it needs to be integrated into a shielded room, with parts of the system that are susceptible to irradiation damage (e.g. electronics) to be separated from the main instrument body, outside the shielding walls. This PIN has been published to enable discussion with the market to assess the reaction to the requirement. UKAEA will conduct a dialogue with interested and capable suppliers and there will be a call for competition based on the specification developed through the dialogue. References [1] T. Seymour et al.; Evolution of dislocation structure in neutron irradiated Zircaloy-2 studied by synchrotron x-ray diffraction peak profile analysis. Acta Materialia 126 (2017), p 102-113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2016.12.031 [2] M. Topping et al. Investigating the thermal stability of irradiation-induced damage in a zirconium alloy with novel in situ techniques. Acta Materialia 145 (2018), p 255-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2017.11.051 [3] M. Topping et al. The effect of irradiation temperature on damage structures in proton-irradiated zirconium alloys. Journal of Nuclear Materials (in press). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnucmat.2018.12.006