Institute day by day

The results of the year summed up at FLNP

An extended meeting of FLNP Directorate was held on 26 December in the Conference Hall of the Laboratory. The final report was made by FLNP Director Egor Lychagin. JINR Director Grigory Trubnikov took part in the meeting.

Traditionally, the extended meeting started with the awarding of the winners of the I.M.Frank Scholarship. Awarding diplomas and presenting gifts, the Chairman of the Jury Alexander Frank said that this ceremony was held not for the first year and it was gratifying that the Laboratory honored the memory of its founders. At the beginning of his speech, FLNP Director Egor Lychagin highlighted that not all the results obtained by the Laboratory employees were reflected in the report. It was necessary to select only some ones from a wide range of papers completed during the year.

The report included the results obtained in the Department of Neutron Investigations of Condensed Matter, primarily, related to the investigation of changes in the structural properties of promising materials under the external pressure, properties of new types of batteries. Focus is on the development of the spectrometric complex of the IBR-2M reactor. In particular, new components of the DN-6 diffractometer and the prototype of BJN spectrometer were developed. A wide-aperture backscattering detector for the HRFD spectrometer has been developed in the Department of Spectrometers Complex; a new ASTRA-M detector installed on beamline 11 has been prepared for test operation. The Laboratory develops its own infrastructure for the construction of spectrometer components, in particular, components of the station and boron sputtering area, an important technology for the construction of advanced neutron detectors have been developed. The technological support for the operation of cold moderators is currently improved.

FLNP focuses on supporting partners in the development of research infrastructure in the JINR Member States. Together with colleagues from Kazakhstan, the ARMAN reflectometer was launched at the VVR-K reactor in INP (Almaty). Еgor Lychagin also highlighted that several meetings held during the year will undoubtedly be of great importance for the Laboratory. First of all, it is the visit of the Minister of Science and Technology of Vietnam Huynh Thanh Dat, together with Director of VINATOM Tran Chi Thanh, during which an agreement was reached to support FLNP in preparing the scientific programme and developing research infrastructure at the new reactor in Vietnam. Active contacts with CSNS (China) are currently maintained and plans for future cooperation are distinguished.

Research is currently carried out in the Department of Nuclear Physics at the IREN facility and on labeled neutron generators within the framework of the TANGRA project. The IREN facility in 2024 operated slightly less than in the past - 1650 hours for the experiment that is due to the replacement of the three-electrode gun. The development of the EG 5 gas pedal is underway, on which it was possible to increase the ion beam current to 30 microamperes.

The team headed by A.I.Frank works on the concept of an ultracold neutron source, realizing the idea of F.L.Shapiro. Together with the partners, a significant work has been implemented - the possibility of producing a large (18 Tesla) magnet for the source has been simulated and estimated. The project is complex and contains many subtasks that need to be met step by step.

Focus in Egor Lychagin's report was on the results obtained in the Sector of Neutron Activation Analysis and Applied Research. The gold medal of the European Exhibition of Inventions Euroinvent-2024 was awarded to a group of employees of the Sector for the development of a biological approach for the extraction of holmium, erbium and gadolinium from wastewater.

Research on the development of a new neutron source is currently implemented. The long and safe operation of the IBR-2 reactor is the main example here. The solution of tasks of the new project is mainly related to a new type of fuel and justification and search for technical solutions for long-term stable operation of the new reactor. Young employees under the supervision of Evgeny Shabalin carry out theoretical simulation of the operation of the IBR-2 reactor and the new source.

In April, a license for the operation of the IBR-2M reactor was obtained from the supervisory authorities, allowing the repair to replace the air heat exchangers to start immediately. "I would like to thank the reactor personnel headed by Chief Engineer A.V.Dolgikh for their intensive work. Currently, the work is almost completed, but to start up the reactor it is required to make changes to the current license," Egor Lychagin emphasized. On 20 December, Rostechnadzor made a decision on the permission to bring the IBR-2M reactor to power. This is a very important decision that allows starting the process of bringing the reactor to design parameters in the second half of February.

Еgor Lychagin in his report also emphasized the work of the Mechanical and Technological, as well as of Electrical and Technological Departments. The Experimental Production Department executes orders from FLNP, other laboratories and external customers. The Design Bureau works extensively. At the same time, focus should be on attracting young people to Technological Departments.

The Laboratory staff is stable at the level of 550-560 people. The average age is 48.1 years that is lower than the average for the Institute - 51.6. The number of employees from some Member States has increased: Egypt - 9 (1 last year), Vietnam - 14 (10), Bulgaria - 8 (6). Two Doctoral theses and three PhD theses were defended during the year. A new deputy director for research Bagdaulet Mukhametuly was elected at FLNP. The Laboratory Director also recalled all the awards presented to the employees this year.

The report outlines the work plans for 2025, many of which were a consistent prolongation of the current year's plans. Start-up of the IBR-2M reactor and the beginning of a user access programme for spectrometric equipment for experiments; development of new facilities at the reactor; delivery of a small-angle scattering detector; providing the IBR-2M nuclear safety group with qualified young employees; ensuring regular operation of IREN for experiments; obtaining a sanitary-epidemiological conclusion and commissioning of EG-5 in test mode; determination of a promising reactor facility in the project of a new neutron source; the start of work on the manufacture of fuel loading for the IBR-2M reactor. This all is just a small list of work that in addition to implementing research has to be carried out. "I express my gratitude to the whole FLNP staff for the work done and wish that the New Year increases all the good," Director congratulated the employees on the upcoming New Year.

Viktor Aksenov highlighted that the holding of such final meetings that has become traditional in recent years, is extremely useful: "For our laboratory, the main task is a neutron source, IBR-2M and the next behind it. I congratulate Director and the Chief Engineer on their hard work that resulted in obtaining permission from Rostekhnadzor. It is necessary to widely discuss the focus of the scientific programme, the current trend of research - the life sciences, the investigation of biological objects and soft substance. This work is underway with us. It is very important to create a group of a new source that rally around E.P.Shabalin, since IBR-2M develops its resource and the idea of a new source is only discussed. Evgeny Shabalin has managed to create a creative work staff and it should be preserved," Victor Aksenov emphasized. "Director works efficiently. I was pleasantly surprised at the intensive work with Chinese colleagues from CSNS."

Evgeny Shabalin expressed his comments on determining the prospect of a new source. He recalled that these investigations have been carried out since 1965, many publications have been done. "It seems to me that the prospect is already clear. STC should determine in which area we move," he remarked.

"I am immensely grateful to Viktor Aksenov for his work, for the ability to rally young people, like Alexander Frank that gathered a group of young children," Egor Lychagin summed up the conversation. "Young people are fond of great and complex tasks and the personality of the supervisor. And of course, we will discuss the scientific components of the project at the STC. The main thing is to smoothly start the reactor, this is a priority task." Grigory Trubnikov shared his impressions about the report, the Laboratory's plans. "I want to start with the words of sincere gratitude to the staff for the work that is carried out in difficult conditions of a break concerning the operation of the reactor. You have other facilities operating, you use the partners' reactor and it is very good that you develop relationships with China. Valery Nesvizhevsky (Institute Laue-Langevin) makes every effort so that we have the opportunity to carry out experiments in ILL. Today, we saw beautiful results. I congratulate you with it and express my sincere gratitude on behalf of the Institute for a good staff work. As for the new source, the pace should not be reduced. I want to support research on the source of ultracold neutrons. It will be right if an ultracold neutron source appears in the homeland of the idea of UCN and the most current one. It is also good that you manage to work on new spectrometers for IBR-2M. Today, the main task for the Institute is to attract personnel. And you are on the main hope with the launch of the reactor to strengthen the influx of specialists from the Member States. You have a good, friendly Directorate, this is the result of the Neutron Scientific School. Happy New Year and a successful launch of the reactor!"

Olga Tarantina