Page 75 - ILLS Annual Report 2018

ONE of the main ingredients of the ILL’s success in maintaining its position as
international leader in neutron science is the continuous upgrade of its facilities. This is the secret behind its excellent, modern and highly efficient instruments
and infrastructure.
Ever since it was founded, the ILL has invested in innovation programmes as part of a constant effort to enhance the performance of its instruments; this has included incorporating the latest technological advances, whether they be state-of-the-art detectors and neutron guides, improvements to sample environment equipment or innovative tools for data analysis and acquisition.
The Projects and Techniques Division is at the heart of these efforts. Its activities are carried out in a project-oriented manner in close liaison with the Science Division, whose prime responsibility is to define the scientific framework and level of performance to be achieved.
Looking more closely at the ongoing upgrade programmes, 2018 marked the start of the commissioning of the ILL’s new wide-angle spin-echo spectrometer, WASP, and its receipt of its first neutrons. WASP was the last instrument
to be completed under the Millennium Programme,
which has now been succeeded by Endurance. The first phase of this ambitious follow-up programme began in 2016. Depending on the funding available, the complete programme will guarantee even better performance
from the ILL’s instruments, further enhancing the quality of research our users can produce with our neutrons.
Some of the new instruments included in the Endurance programme are already in operation, such as the new fission-fragment spectrometer FIPPS which saw its first experiment at the end of 2016. Others, such as the new thermal time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometer PANTHER and the ultra-cold neutron source SuperSUN, are due to be commissioned in 2019.
The instrument performance gains expected from Endurance will also call for research and innovation in other technical fields, including simulation techniques such as virtualisation, to improve the design of the instruments and their environment. The Projects and Techniques Division is also currently exploring state-of-the-art computing technology with the aim of developing an alternative, virtual access mode for neutron experiments. This will allow users to connect to any instrument in the ILL’s suite via a web portal—an exciting prospect indeed!
MODERNISATION PROGRAMMES AND TECHNICAILLDIENVETHLOEPPMRENSSTS 72-73
Other projects, including the creation of new detectors and guides as well as innovative data acquisition and storage techniques, will ensure that the ILL’s instruments continue to set new standards in their respective fields. One of the Division’s objectives is to develop new detectors that can be tailored to meet the individual requirements of instruments. Another innovative research programme in the field of polarising neutron optics is also currently underway, aimed at developing advanced tools for neutron instrumentation.
One major challenge facing the Institute is how to cope with the ever-increasing volume of experimental data generated by our instruments. In 2011, a full cycle of 50 days and 40 instruments generated approximately 1TB of data. Today, we are generating 2−3TB of data per day, and we expect this figure to rise to a phenomenal 10TB in the next few years!
Of course, the Projects and Techniques Division also has an important part to play in the day-to-day running of our research facility. This covers everything from maintaining and upgrading the ILL’s non-scientific software applications, to the renovation and improvement of our buildings, roads and green spaces.
Finally, the level of expertise and experience available within the Division has naturally led to our involvement in a number of European projects and conferences. This not only allows us to share our knowledge; it also helps us to further enrich our own know-how, whether that be for developing new instruments (detectors, guides, instrumentation, electronics, and so on), new data-sharing systems or a new reactor fuel design—and all this, with the aim of constantly improving our capacity for collaboration and, ultimately, providing our users with the excellent instrumentation and quality of service they have come to expect.
Jérôme Estrade
Associate Director
Head of the Projects and Techniques Division
www.ill.eu