National Nuclear User Facility at the Centre for Radiochemistry Research (CRR)

曼彻斯特大学放射化学研究中心（CRR）成立于1999年。它是UoM核设施和能力组合的关键组成部分，并在学术界和核部门之间提供了开创性的联系，为英国提供了一个独特而重要的设施，用于从蓝天研究到工业准备开发工作的创新，高影响放射化学。考虑到放射性化学和核研究的严重磨损，经过20年的服务，原来的实验室正在退役，UoM正在建造一个新的和扩展的CRR，这将使我们能够处理更高水平的放射性化合物，符合我们机构的驱动工作与“真实世界”的活性物质水平，特别是托管这个NNUF应用。有大量的设备可以从旧的CRR中添加到新的CRR中，但有些设备可以追溯到1990年，远远超过了合理的运行寿命，现在它们非常不可靠，随时可能永久无法运行。因此，有必要更新其中的一些项目，并增加新的能力来提供附加值，以便我们可以在能力上做出决定性的转变，以满足政府（BEIS）、NIRAB、NNUF和EPSRC的国家战略目标。因此，我们要求提供一套设备，以形成一种独特的国际能力，其中包括：(i)新的双源单晶x射线衍射仪；（ii）更换400 MHz核磁共振波谱仪；（iii）新型SQUID磁力计；（iv）更灵敏和高通量的α -、β -和γ -辐射计数器；(v)用于装超铀设备的手套箱，包括ATR-IR、天平、球磨机、离心机和用于装袋/出袋的高频声波焊接；（vi）双光子、荧光和LIBS光谱仪的光谱套件；（vii）国家管理的237Np和242Pu库存。所要求的设备将与新CRR中的现有套件集成，在模型和实际条件下，提供独特的，综合的最先进的分析，处理和回收技术，跨越固体和溶液阶段，为学术界和工业界提供激动人心的，突破性的技术和科学进步，这将是国际上无与伦比的。NNUF@ CRR将能够支持的研究领域的指示性清单包括：(i)配位和有机金属配合物的形成；(2)光谱;(3)磁性;（iv）环境放射化学、地球化学、流动性和后处理；(v)分析分离和低水平分析；核法医；钢和混凝土的核退役；(八)胶体;（ix）计算建模；(x)材料、燃料和熔盐的前体。所要求的设备将直接有助于(i)-(x)的研究，或将辅助这些研究。该设施将大大减少使用活性样品的长期障碍，扩大研究领域，并培养一批受过放射化学和核学科培训的早期职业研究人员。CRR由两名教授联合主任、两名高级实验官员、一名行政人员和一名技术人员以及两名共同调查的读者组成的团队运营，该团队将构成NNUF的管理小组，并将建立一个多元化的外部咨询委员会。为了反映这种能力对UoM优先事项的重要性，CRR和NNUF申请通过翻新、人员、现有设备和20%的fEC捐款获得强有力的机构支持，总共提供了1000万英镑的配套资金。新的NNUF@CRR将成为英国的战略资产，在英国和国际核领域发挥重要而独特的作用，对这种能力的需求由学术，国家实验室和工业支持信的强大组合证明。

The Centre for Radiochemistry Research (CRR) at The University of Manchester (UoM) was established in 1999. It is a key part of UoM's nuclear facilities and capability portfolio and provided a pioneering link between academia and the nuclear sector, offering a unique and vital facility in the UK to conduct innovative, high-impact radiochemistry from blue-skies research to industry-ready development work. Given the harsh wear of radiochemical and nuclear research, after 20 years of service the original labs are being decommissioned and the UoM is building a new and expanded CRR which will enable us to work with higher levels of radioactive compounds, in-line with our institutions drive to work with 'real world' levels of active materials, and specifically to host this NNUF application. There is a substantial portfolio of equipment that can be added to the new CRR from the old incarnation, but some items of equipment date back to 1990, which is far past reasonable operational lifetimes and they are now exceedingly unreliable and could become permanently inoperable at any moment. There is therefore a need to renew some of these items and also to add new capability to give added-value so that we may make a decisive step-change in capability in order to meet Government (BEIS), NIRAB, NNUF, and EPSRC national strategic goals. Therefore, we request an equipment bundle to forge a unique international capability that will include: (i) new dual-source single crystal X-ray diffractometer; (ii) replacement 400 MHz NMR spectrometer; (iii) new SQUID magnetometer; (iv) more sensitive and high-throughput alpha-, beta-, and gamma-radiometric counters; (v) glove boxes for transuranics including ATR-IR, balance, ball mill, centrifuge, and HF sonic welding for bagging-in/-out; (vi) spectroscopic suite of 2-photon, fluorescence, and LIBS spectometers; (vii) a national, managed stock of 237Np and 242Pu. The requested equipment will integrate with existing kit in the new CRR to deliver a unique, comprehensive combination of state-of-the-art analytical, handling, and recycling techniques across solid and solution phases, in model and real conditions, enabling exciting, ground-breaking technical and scientific advances for the academic and industrial communities that will be internationally unrivalled. An indicative list of research areas that the NNUF@ CRR will be able to support includes: (i) speciation of coordination and organometallic complexes; (ii) spectroscopy; (iii) magnetism; (iv) environmental radiochemistry, geochemistry, mobility, and reprocessing; (v) analytical separations and low-level analyses; (vi) nuclear forensics; (vii) nuclear decommissioning of steels and concretes; (viii) colloids; (ix) computational modelling; (x) precursors to materials, fuels, and molten salts. The requested equipment will either directly contribute to the study of (i)-(x) or will peripherally support them. This facility will greatly reduce the enduring barriers to working with active samples, expanding the area and generating cohorts of early career researchers trained in radiochemistry and nuclear disciplines.The CRR is run by a team composed of two Professorial co-directors, two Senior Experimental Officers, an administrator, and a technician in addition to two Readers who are co-investigators, and this team will constitue the management group of this NNUF that will also establish a diverse external advisory board. Reflecting the importance of this capability to the priorities of the UoM, the CRR and this NNUF application enjoy strong institutional support by way of refurbishment, people, existing equipment, and 20% fEC contributions that gives a total of £10M matching funds. The new NNUF@CRR will be a strategic asset to the UK and play a vital and unique role in the UK and international nuclear landscape, and the demand for such a capability is evidenced by a strong portfolio of academic, national lab, and industrial Letters of Support.