"Pneumatic transport system REGATA-2 at the IREN facility"

Lobachev V.V., Dmitriev A. Yu., Borzakov S.B., Smironov A.A., Zhironkin I.S., Shvetsov V.N.

The IREN facility makes it possible to obtain neutrons or gamma quanta, depending on the type of target used. The REGATA-2 pneumatic transport system was developed at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences for the applied use of neutron or photon fluxes. The project was successfully implemented at FLNP IREN facility.

The pneumatic transport system provides studies of the elemental composition of various origins samples, including short-lived isotopes with a half-life of about one minute or more. With the help of neutron activation analysis, ceramics were studied using short-lived isotopes, which significantly expanded the picture of the elemental composition of the samples. The first experiments on the use of gamma activation analysis were carried out, during which the isotopes in the irradiated samples were qualitatively determined. Currently, an active modernization of the pneumatic transport system is being carried out – a touch control panel has been implemented, which will completely replace the electromechanical one, interaction has been established with the activation analysis database.

This report will present an overview of functional blocks of the pneumatic transport system, their finalization and implementation at the IREN facility, the results of experiments on neutron and gamma activation analysis, steps to modernize the pneumatic transport system, the implementation of new options and proposals for the improvement of the methods used.