News
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Operated by the Science & Technology Facilities Council (STFC) and located on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) provides a thriving and collaborative environment for pioneering research in such subjects as particle physics, space science, materials analysis and biomedicine.
Approximately 1,200 staff at RAL support the work of more than 10,000 scientists and engineers, chiefly from the university research community, who are addressing many important challenges facing society and the environment.
RAL have purchased several Xentaur Hybrid Dewpoint Transmitters (HDT) for making critical moisture measurements in the Spallation Reaction, a process in which a light projectile (proton, neutron, or light nucleus) with the kinetic energy from several hundreds of MeV to several GeV interacts with a heavy nucleus (e.g., lead or tungsten) and causes the emission of a large number of hadrons (mostly neutrons) or fragments. These hadrons are assembled into beams that are directed toward an array of scientific instruments. Each of these instrument stations is uniquely calibrated to observe a different set of interactions between the neutron beam and the material or tissue sample the experiment is designed to analyze. The HDT’s are being used to measure the dewpoint of compressed, cooled helium gas, which in turn chills the liquid hydrogen circuit in a coupled moderator. This moderator is used to slow down the fast neutrons which are produced by the spallation process. The HDT uses a Hyper Thin Film HTFTM high capacitance aluminum oxide sensor with a measuring range of -100ºC to +20ºF (custom ranges available). The Xentaur dew point sensors provide a high degree of accuracy, speed of response and stability unavailable from instruments using conventional aluminum oxide or polymer sensors.