Reuter-Stokes Completes Factory Acceptance Testing for NIST

On March 9, 2020, a team from Reuter-Stokes accompanied the first Helium-3 Detector 8Pack module for factory acceptance testing at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Gaithersburg, MD. Approval of the acceptance testing allows Reuter-Stokes to complete the manufacturing of thirteen remaining units for installation on the NG-3 Very Small-Angle Scattering (VSANS) target station.The project is slated to begin commissioning in August 2020. NIST is a long-time Reuter-Stokes customer and recipient of a number of Helium-3 Detector 8Pack modules since the product was developed more than10 years ago.

In addition to the acceptance testing, the team also participated in a technical review for bid of a second installation planned of five 8Pack modules for the NGA Neutron Spin-Echo Spectrometer (NSE) target station. Reuter-Stokes won the bid and received the purchase order on April 22, 2020.

The Neutron Scattering market consists of over 50 laboratories and research facilities in 22 countries. These facilities operate a large-scale neutron source (usually a research reactor or spallation source) that provides thermal neutrons through a target station to a series of research instruments. To best serve this customer base, Reuter-Stokes offers a combination of Helium-3 filled position-sensitive proportional counters (known as Position Sensitive Detectors or PSDs) along with the NeuAcq™ Electronics System and the Helium-3 Detector 8Pack module. The Helium-3 Detector 8Pack module combines high-efficiency neutron detection with high-speed electronics in a sealed enclosure. This product enables cutting-edge science in all-vacuum, partial-vacuum and non-vacuum instruments in an easy-to-install module.