Facility for Rare Isotope Beams

The Facility for Rare Isotopes Beams (FRIB) is a scientific accelerator facility for nuclear science, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science (DOE-SC), Michigan State University (MSU), and the State of Michigan. MSU establishes and operates FRIB as a user facility for the Office of Nuclear Physics in the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. At FRIB, scientists will research the properties of rare isotopes to advance knowledge in the areas of nuclear physics, nuclear astrophysics, fundamental interactions of nuclei, and real-world applications of rare isotopes. Construction of the FRIB conventional facilities began in spring 2014 and was completed in 2017. Final design of the technical systems is complete and technical construction is underway, having started in the fall of 2014. The total project cost is baselined at $730M with project completion in June 2022.[1]

On 11–12 July 2018, the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams accelerated first beam in three of forty-six superconducting cryomodules (painted green). Beam in the warm radio-frequency quadrupole was previously accelerated in September 2017.
The FRIB cryogenic plant made its first liquid helium at 4.5 kelvin (K) on 16 November 2017. Photo courtesy of MSU Communications and Brand Strategy.

Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB)
A view of FRIB looking southeast
General information
TypeNational User Facility
Address640 South Shaw Lane
Town or cityEast Lansing, Michigan
CountryUnited States
Coordinates42°43′29.21″N 84°28′25.78″W
CompletedJune 2022, managing to early completion in 2021
CostUS$765 million (Total Project Cost)
OwnerMichigan State University
Technical details
Floor area220,160 sq ft (20,454 m2)
Design and construction
Architecture firmSmithGroup JJR
Main contractorBarton Malow
Website
frib.msu.edu

FRIB will provide researchers with the technical capabilities to study the properties of rare isotopes (that is, short-lived atomic nuclei not normally found on Earth). Real-world applications of the research include materials science, nuclear medicine, and the fundamental understanding of nuclear material important to nuclear weapons stockpile stewardship. More than 20 working groups specializing in experimental equipment and scientific topics have been organized through the FRIB Users Organization.

The establishment of a Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) is the first recommendation in the 2012 National Academies Decadal Study of Nuclear Physics: Nuclear Physics: Exploring the Heart of the Matter.[2] The priority for completion is listed in the 2015 Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science: Implementing Reaching for the Horizon[3] by the DOE/NSF Nuclear Science Advisory Committee.

In March 2015, workers poured nearly 3,600 cubic yards of concrete into the linear accelerator tunnel. Photo courtesy of MSU Communications and Brand Strategy.
This photo from March 4, 2017, shows the construction of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.

Developments

DOE-SC announced the selection of Michigan State University to design and establish FRIB on December 11, 2008 after a rigorous merit review process including a written application, oral presentations, and site visits.[4]

The project earned Critical Decision 1 (CD-1) approval in September 2010 which established a preferred alternative and the associated established cost and schedule ranges.[5]

On August 1, 2013, DOE-SC approved the project baseline (CD-2) and the start of civil construction (CD-3a), pending a notice to proceed. Civil construction could not start under the continuing appropriations resolution, which disallowed new construction starts.[6]

January 18, 2014 the appropriations bill passed both houses of congress.

Following the passage of the FY2014 appropriation, DOE-SC issued a notice to proceed on January 22, 2014, allowing the start of civil construction.[7]

On February 25, 2014 the board of the Michigan Strategic Fund[8] met at Michigan State University and approved nearly $91 million to support the construction of FRIB.[9]

FRIB marked the official start of civil construction with a groundbreaking ceremony[10] March 17, 2014. In attendance were representatives from the Michigan delegation, State of Michigan, Michigan State University, and the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Technical construction started in October 2014, following a CD-3b approval by DOE-SC.

In March 2017, FRIB achieved beneficial occupancy of civil construction, and technical installation activities escalated as a result.[11]

In February 2019, FRIB accelerated beams through the first 15 (of 46 total) cryomodules to 10 percent of FRIB's final beam energy.[12] With these beam tests, FRIB became the highest-energy superconducting heavy-ion linac. In August 2019, the radio-frequency quadrupole (RFQ) was conditioned above 100 kW, the CW power needed to achieve the FRIB mission goal of accelerating uranium beams. The RFQ prepares the beam for further acceleration in the linac.

Construction on two MSU-funded building additions was substantially completed in January 2020. The Cryogenic Assembly Building will be used for cryomodule maintenance and to perform cryogenic-engineering research. The High Rigidity Spectrometer and Isotope Harvesting Vault will house isotope-harvesting research equipment and provide space for experiments.[13]

In March 2020, FRIB accelerated an argon-36 beam through 37 of 46 superconducting cryomodules to 204 MeV/nucleon or 57 percent of the speed of light, to the Key Performance Parameters required at project completion.[14]

In September 2020, DOE designated FRIB as a DOE-SC User Facility. U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette visited the laboratory for the designation ceremony.[15]

In March 2017, FRIB achieved beneficial occupancy of civil construction.

Notes
  1. "FRIB | Facility for Rare Isotope Beams | Michigan State University". frib.msu.edu.
  3. "Reaching for the horizon: The 2015 long range plan for nuclear science". inspirehep.net.
  4. "Fact Sheet". Department of Energy. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
  5. Miller, Matthew. "Feds OK design concept for MSU nuclear physics facility" (PDF). Lansing State Journal. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2010.
  6. Glasmacher, Thomas. "DOE Office of Science Approves CD-2 and CD-3a". FRIB. Retrieved August 5, 2013.
  7. Glasmacher, Thomas. "FRIB Construction to Begin in Early Spring". FRIB. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  8. "Michigan Strategic Fund | About MEDC | Michigan Business".
  9. Miller, Matthew. "State OKs 91M for MSUs FRIB". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved February 25, 2014.
  10. Smith, Jay Scott (March 17, 2014). "Michigan State FRIB called 'labor of love' during groundbreaking ceremony". MLive.
  11. "Civil construction achieved beneficial occupancy on 24 March". frib.msu.edu.
  12. "FRIB accelerates beams of neon, argon, krypton, and xenon". frib.msu.edu.
  13. "FRIB finalizing civil construction and site-restoration progress". frib.msu.edu.
  14. "FRIB accelerates argon-36 beam in 37 of 46 cryomodules to full beam energy of 200 MeV/nucleon required at project completion". frib.msu.edu.
  15. Lyons, Craig (September 29, 2020). "MSU's $730 million Facility for Rare Isotope Beams gains federal designation". Lansing State Journal.

See also

References
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