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M5tec embedded one of our highly skilled Mechanical Engineer within the engineering team at the European Spallation Source (ESS) in Lund, Sweden. The ESS represents one of the largest science and technology infrastructure projects globally, centred around the world’s most powerful neutron source. The facility’s design and construction include the most powerful linear proton accelerator ever built, a five-tonne helium-cooled tungsten target wheel, 15 state-of-the-art neutron instruments, a suite of advanced laboratories, and a supercomputing data management and software development centre.
Our engineer served as an Integration Engineer within the Neutron Scattering Systems (NSS) department for the delivery and installation of neutron instruments. In this role, he acted as a technical bridge between the ESS sites and the UK-based In-Kind Partner, STFC (Science and Technology Facilities Council). STFC’s scope of supply includes two Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) instruments known as LoKI and FREIA.
The main use case for LoKI consists of studying soft matter, materials, and bio-science samples, ranging from organic solar cells to the study of biological processes behind ageing and certain diseases, like Alzheimer’s. FREIA is a reflectometer with horizontal sample for liquid interfaces, specialising in soft matter. Use-cases include studying processes like annealing/drying/exchange/wetting in composite films such as photovoltaic materials, as well as the encapsulation and release of components such as drug delivery and implant materials.
Our engineer ensured the designs and installation of the neutron instruments adhered to the rigorous quality standards required for ESS neutron instruments in order to obtain the site licence for intentional neutron production. This also included producing installation drawings for the survey, alignment & metrology team to ensure components were installed with extremely small tolerances and high accuracy, as well as conducting some physical assembly and commissioning tasks for the neutron instrument sub-systems.
Collaborating with ESS was a rewarding challenge, offering insights and experiences that our engineer has brought back to M5tec, enhancing our expertise.
M5tec is honoured to contribute to the ESS project and looks forward to continued collaboration on such groundbreaking scientific endeavours.
I found it very enjoyable working on the ground at the ESS site in Sweden, it was interesting to see the difference in working practices at the fitout stage of a new research facility in Sweden compared to the maintenance of legacy sites in the UK. This experience also complemented my general mechanical design background in the nuclear industry, offering new insight into design for installation of bespoke large-scale scientific instruments. This experience was both challenging and insightful, offering a unique opportunity to collaborate with some of the brightest minds in the field of particle physics facilities as well as general science and engineering.
