March Status Update

MD2 Centering Stage Repair

The centering stage for the 24-ID-C MD2 has been repaired by Maatel and re-installed.  It is working fine with no missing steps on X and Y slides.

HC1 Humidity Control Device

The HC1 arrived in January.  During the current run cycle, NE-CAT has reserved a few days on 24-ID-E to test the HC1 with controls and real samples.  Currently, the HC1 is installed in place of the cryostream when it is in use (Fig. 1) and then removed.  HC1 was commissioned and calibration-tested with saturated salt solutions of a known relative humidity (RH). For example, saturated NaCl has a RH of ~75 at room temperature. If we set the RH of the HC1 below 75, crystals of NaCl appear. Similarly, if the RH is set above 75, these crystals dissolve in a repeatable manner (Fig. 2).

Fig. 1 – HC1 installed in place of the cryostream on 24-ID-E.

Fig. 2 – Raj monitors the growth of NaCl crystals while testing the ability of the HC1 to change the relative humidity of the water-saturated air stream.