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

曼彻斯特大学（UoM）的放射化学研究中心（CRR）成立于1999年。它是UoM核设施和能力组合的重要组成部分，并提供了学术界和核部门之间的先驱联系，在英国提供了一个独特而重要的设施，以进行创新，高影响力的放射化学从蓝天研究到工业就绪的发展工作。考虑到放射化学和核研究的严酷磨损，经过20年的服务，原始实验室正在退役，UoM正在建设一个新的和扩展的CRR，这将使我们能够使用更高水平的放射性化合物，与我们的机构驱动器一起工作，使用“真实的世界”水平的活性材料，特别是托管这个NNUF应用。有大量的设备组合可以从旧的版本添加到新的CRR中，但是一些设备可以追溯到1990年，这远远超过了合理的使用寿命，它们现在非常不可靠，随时可能永久无法使用。因此，有必要更新其中一些项目，并增加新的能力，以提供附加值，以便我们可以在能力方面做出决定性的步骤变化，以满足政府（BEIS），NIRAB，NNUF和EPSRC的国家战略目标。因此，我们请求提供一套设备，以建立独特的国际能力，其中包括：㈠新的双源单晶X射线衍射仪; ㈡替换的400兆赫核磁共振光谱仪; ㈢新的SQUID磁力仪; ㈣更灵敏和高通量的α、β和γ辐射计数器;（v）用于超铀元素的手套箱，包括ATR-IR、天平、球磨机、离心机和用于装袋/出袋的HF声波焊接;（vii）一个国家管理的237 Np和242 Pu库存。所要求的设备将与新CRR中的现有套件集成，以在模型和真实的条件下提供跨越固体和溶液阶段的最先进的分析，处理和回收技术的独特，全面的组合，为学术界和工业界带来令人兴奋的，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：（一）配位和有机金属络合物的形态;（二）光谱学;（三）磁性;（四）环境放射化学、地球化学、流动性和后处理;（五）分析分离和低水平分析;（六）核法医学;（七）钢和混凝土的核退役;（八）胶体;（ix）计算模型;（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）项的研究，或作为外围支持。该设施将大大减少使用活性样品的持久障碍，扩大区域并培养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，一名管理员和一名技术员组成的团队管理，此外还有两名读者是共同研究者，这个小组将组成这个NNUF的管理小组，还将建立一个多元化的外部咨询委员会。反映了这种能力对UoM优先事项的重要性，CRR和这个NNUF应用程序通过翻新，人员，现有设备和20%的fEC捐款获得了强大的机构支持，总共提供了1000万英镑的匹配资金。新的NNUF@CRR将成为英国的战略资产，并在英国和国际核格局中发挥重要而独特的作用，对这种能力的需求体现在强大的学术，国家实验室和工业支持信中。

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.